Transgression
by Juwpiter081
Summary: It's said everything happens for a reason. For these three, fate wasn't the one pulling their strings. War of Transgression era, prequel to I'll Protect You/Undying.
1. Mourning

_**Transgression**_

**Konichiwa! I'm back, guys! Not as soon as I would've liked, but alas, not having a computer for nearly 3 months can do that to ya! Anyway, I've decided to continue, at least to an extent, my **_**I'll Protect You**_** series. This is it's prequel, **_**Transgression.**_** From the name, you can guess that it takes place during the War, 500 years ago. However, I'm experimenting with a new writing style. This story will have little excerpts that are set after **_**Undying's **_**epilogue. Part of me just doesn't wanna let go, I guess. The story will also tie up loose ends that my other two left open, and explains the reasons for why certain events occurred.**

**Pairings are dependent on the time-frame, but, for the "current" time, all the pairings from **_**Undying**_** are evident, with perhaps the most development occurring between Gamenern and Lebreau, as much of the flashbacks are from Gamenern's perspective, and are told to Lebreau. Fanille will be featured at some point in the past, but it won't be what you're expecting. Other OC pairings appear, so beware.**

**So, with that said, enjoy **_**Transgression**_**!**

**Word Count: 3355**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or have a say in any Final Fantasy video game. I don't profit from this story or it's characters. This is a work of fiction, not to be taken as canon.**

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><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter One: Mourning

It was early in the morning in the small town of Oerba. The sun had yet to rise over the mountains, so everything was illuminated under a hazy grey tone. Birds had yet to awaken from their nighttime slumber, and most nocturnal creatures were preparing to hide away for the day.

But, even in this transition period between night and day, one man was awake, kneeling in what looked to be an old, worn out graveyard. The man was dressed in a black shirt and pants, with a large, red axe slung over his back. His head was held down as he muttered a silent prayer in his native language, a prayer to the dead.

He was getting up when he felt a presence behind him. Smiling, he opened his eyes and sighed. "Lebreau."

The woman in question held the hand of a young girl, one that looked tentative at being here. The place creeped the young girl out. Lebreau approached the man's side and looked down at the tombstone. She didn't understand the Pulsian Script as well as the man did, but she did recognize the clan names. "Family of yours?" She asked lightly. The man sighed again.

"Yeah." He answered, turning to the pair. With a feigned smile, he picked up the girl, his daughter. "They died when I was only Penelo's age." He spoke, his voice strained. It was a complete 180 to the man's normal attitude. He normally was always laughing and joking, very laid back. To see him like this, his true emotions flooding to the surface, was almost heartbreaking. "I never got a chance to tell them goodbye, either." His voice cracked, never telling anybody about that fateful day, over 500 years ago, when his family was torn apart forever.

"Gamenern…" Lebreau sighed, pulling the man into a loose hug. He threatened to break but never did, his control wavering but not failing. A few moments later and he collected himself. Even his daughter tried to comfort him, not understanding why her father was so sad.

Gamenern sighed heavily, clearing his emotions, and pulled away slightly. "We never stood a chance. It happened so fast, we never saw it coming." He breathed, looking back down at the tombstone. He looked back to a time he'd rather forget, straining to keep a straight face as he spoke.

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><p>Nighttime had always been a frantic time for the people of Oerba in the wake of the war with Cocoon. It wasn't as if anyone had been worried: They had the protection of the fal'Cie Anima, and they also were aided by a large force of military that would be able to fight any threats Cocoon made against them.<p>

Despite this, two children were playing in their backyard without a care in the world. They were playing tag, a boy chasing a girl about his own age. The way the acted with the other made it seem as if they were brother and sister, and they were wearing similar clothing, in tradition with Yun clan garments.

The boy had very unkempt, brown hair, with matched his brown eyes perfectly. He was only 7 years old, but he had the intelligence and maturity of someone around 10 or 12 years old. He was very proud of his heritage and older siblings, while equally protective over his younger siblings, one of which included the girl he was currently chasing.

She had even wilder black hair that contrasted with her bright green eyes. She was taller than her older brother, though she was only 5 years old. Unlike her brother, she was not as mature, acting more her age than her brother acted his. Currently, she was wearing a blue, silk sari. The biggest feature she had was a black mole under her right eye.

The boy finally caught his sister, tackling her playfully with a fit of laughter, some his and some hers. Despite his maturity, the boy was still just a kid, and he acted it whenever he was playing with his younger siblings. His family said he would make a great father in the future, and would be a perfect husband.

They were less inclined to compliment the girl on her attitude. She could be fairly rash at times, sometimes trying to follow her older brother or father out on dangerous hunts, or try to get out of the backyard of her house. She was a free spirit, one that would be hard to tame. Many people who had known her said that she would need someone very patient if she planned on having a family.

They were getting back up, dusting themselves off when a woman, obviously their mother, called out, "Fang! Gamenern! Time to get ready for dinner!" The girl groaned, but when Gamenern poked her in the side and took off, she chased him to the door without letting up.

Inside, there were several people, most of them younger than 18 years old. The Yun clan that lived in Oerba were the last remaining members of the dwindling clan of hunters and nomads. This particular line had decided not to head down that path, and, though still avid hunters and fighters, had adopted a more domestic lifestyle.

The house was the home of 5 children, including Gamenern, and the two parents. Despite being taken in as a member of the family, Gamenern was not directly related to any of the others by blood. His family had died in a hunting accident 2 years ago, leaving him orphaned. In keeping with Oerban traditions, he went to live with his only remaining clan relatives. They had treated him like their own child, raising him with as much love and care as any of their real family.

Their father was a man named Kain. He had adopted the nickname "Highwind", as he was at his greatest in flight, fighting his enemies in the air. He was a tall, slender man with white hair that he usually kept in slicked back to stay out of his face, which was hardened by battles but still kind and soft.

Their mother was named Ashe, an abbreviation of Ashelia. She was known as a kind yet determined woman, who had a very dirty blond hair. She had kind green eyes, darker than her youngest daughter's, but not as dark as Gamenern's.

Vaan was the oldest of the children in the household, at age 17. He was a kind young man, always looking out for his family, especially Gamenern, who was closest to the boy. The man had his mother's hair tone, though it was more yellow than his mom's, with blue eyes. He hunted with a very simple sword and shield.

The next oldest was the oldest of the two girls, Tifa. She had just turned 15, and was nearing the age of marriage in Oerba. With this in mind, she was to meet with other clan males around her age to find her a suitable husband. She had black/brown hair that went down to her hips, and brown eyes like her adoptive younger brother.

The next child in line was the younger of the girls, Fang. She was the girl who had been playing with Gamenern outside only a few minutes past, and was now cleaning her face and hands for the company they were having over.

The youngest of the children was a boy named Reks. He was only 3 years old, so he had yet to don a true personality yet. He was naïve and kind, like most kids his age, and had hair that matched his oldest brother's, though his was more white than Vaan's. He was currently being held by Ashe as she maneuvered through the kitchen past Vaan and Tifa, helping their mother cook the meal of the day.

Today, the Dia clan was coming over. The eldest of the Dia daughters, Aerith, was to meet with Vaan, in an attempt to marry off the brunette teenager. She was kind and cheery, like most Dia, but she had been neglected by several boys for her fairly plain features. Both families hoped that Vaan might take on some interest in the Dia girl.

The door bell ringing let everyone in the household know that the Dia's were here. Ashe had set Reks down with Fang and Gamenern, telling them "I'll be right back, okay?" before going to answer the door. Several greeting were sounded, and Kain had come out to greet the adults of the Dia clan. Gamenern had caught a glimpse of the family as they walked in. It was only 4 people. 2 girls, one barely older than Reks and one about Tifa's age, and then the two adults.

"Wonder who the brat is?" Fang asked amused as Reks tried to have a conversation with Vaan, though it was mostly just random words that the little boy could put together, though Vaan was great at making it seem like he was interested in what Reks was trying to say nonetheless. Gamenern gave Fang a playful nudge, causing the younger Yun to lose her balance, falling onto her rear. "Ow, that hurt…" She whined, sitting up on her knees and rubbing the area she landed on.

Gamenern smiled lightly, hearing the conversations getting louder, and turned around to great their guests. Ashe, who was talking, stopped as her adopted son walked up. "Ah. Yuna, this is Gamenern. Gamenern, this is Dia Yuna. She's and old friend of mine. Her husband is Tidus." She motioned to the male who was beside Yuna, and Gamenern extended his hand out, shaking the man's hand with a firmness unusual for his age. The man chuckled at the grip. He had blond hair, much blonder than Vaan did, and blue eyes, similar to his brother's.

Yuna had brunette hair that was cut short and clean, just above her neck. Her eyes were very unusual. Gamenern never saw anyone with two different eye colors. Yuna had one green eye and one blue eye, making her seem out of place, but it almost seemed to fit the woman well.

"This is our oldest daughter Aerith." Yuna said, motioning for the brunette teen to approach. She gave a light bow, returned by the boy. She had her brown hair tied back into a ponytail that rivaled the length of Tifa's hair. The two girls were friends at the girls school in Oerba. She had soft brown eyes that seemed to put Gamenern at ease, despite his relaxed persona already.

"How do you do?" Aerith asked as she bowed, smiling when Gamenern returned the favor. He smiled as well, then turned to the young girl who Aerith was carrying. She had red hair, tied into two pigtails, and was trying to sleep, so you couldn't see her eyes.

"The little one's Vanille." Yuna said, rubbing Vanille's back affectionately as the girl cooed, nuzzling into Aerith's neck. Gamenern felt even more relaxed watching the family, though Tidus was currently chatting with Kain.

"This is Fang and Reks." Gamenern said, pointing to the girl and young boy sitting in the dining room. Fang simply gave a half-wave, while Reks waved wildly at the woman. A smile graced Yuna's and Aerith's faces as they watched the little boy, who went back to talking with Fang, or at least, talking at Fang. The girl tried hard to talk back, but she felt like an idiot trying to talk to this kid, despite her young age.

"I'm sure you've already met Tifa." Gamenern continued, pointing at his older sister, who waved at Aerith with a smile, returned by her friend. Then, Vaan walked around the corner of the kitchen with a roast that their father had hunted earlier that day. "And this is Vaan." Vaan turned to Gamenern when he heard his name, then stiffened slightly when he saw Aerith, smiling at him with a kind, warming smile. It held a similar effect over the oldest child as it did Gamenern. He walked over, just in front of Aerith and her mother.

"How are you?" Aerith asked, bowing slightly. Like Gamenern had done, Vaan returned the gesture, a goofy smile plastered over his face. "I'm fine." Was all he could manage, before Kain approached, smiling as he just finished a joke with Tidus.

"Well, now that we all know each other, how about we go ahead and serve dinner? Gamenern, Fang, can you help Tifa set up the table, and make sure that Reks and Vanille get their meals?" The man spoke, placing his glass of water on the spot on the end, the largest and most decorated chair his spot. This was the spot reserved for him, and Vaan whenever he was out on a hunt at the time.

The boy and girl followed the orders of their father, steeping into the kitchen to help their older sister help set up the table with the food. Tifa has to steady Fang on more than one occasion, as the girl had tried to rush and almost tripped on the small aluminum divider between the hardwood of the dining room and the linoleum of the kitchen. Fortunately, she didn't drop anything, and was able to set the table with her slightly older brother.

After doing that, Vanille was set down next to Reks, now awake and taking a liking to the boy she was set down next to. Gamenern and Fang had ushered her and Reks to a small table beside Kain's spot, and Gamenern cut up pieces of meat and vegetables for both children. The kids were talking, using very flamboyant gestures, about nothing really. Most of it wasn't too intelligible, though Vanille seemed to have a much better understanding of talking than Reks, who had been just starting preschool and was learning more about counting and simple writing.

Once the little ones were taken care of, Gamenern and Fang took their spots at the dining room table, now covered with several foodstuffs and practically groaning with the weight on it's legs. Gamenern sat in between Vann and Tidus. Ashe sat at the end of the table, Tifa to her left. Yuna was to her left, directly in front of Tidus. Fang was across of Gamenern, while Aerith was opposite Vaan. Kain cleared his throat, gathering the entire room's attention.

Everyone bowed their heads as they grasped nearby members hands in their own, Kain leading the prayed. "Great Pulse, we thank you for this meal you have so graciously given us. We thank you for you continued protection of Oerba and it's inhabitants. We thank you for allowing us to share this meal with family and friends, and we ask that you wish our son Vaan and Dia Aerith luck in whatever decision they will make. Amen." Everyone in the room repeated the "Amen", though Vaan had a slight blush creeping onto his face as the food was passed around the table. Aerith giggled slightly, which only worked to make the blush more noticeable.

The entire meal was enjoyed with conversations about random stuff, going from Gamenern's mother and father, to how Ashe and Kain met, to talking about Vaan and, later, Aerith. It all made the war seem so far away. Moments like this were what Gamenern enjoyed most about his family.

Dinner was finished about 40 minutes later, with the woman getting up to clean dishes, while the men sat around and talked about random stuff. Even Gamenern participated in the conversations, though he was watching over Vanille and Reks as they ran around the living room, Reks holding a small toy away from Vanille. It brought a smile to Gamenern's face.

His thoughts were broken when Ashe walked up behind him, a soft chuckle exiting her lips. "You will make a very good father in the future, Gamenern." She said with a smile, placing her hand on the boy's head. The boy returned the smile, looking back at the two children playing.

"Thanks, Aunt Ashe." He responded, turning back to look at the table, examining what was currently happening. Vaan and Aerith had walked out the back door, talking while on the patio just outside, enjoying the starlit nighttime. Tifa was talking with Yuna and Tidus about something that had happened at school a few days ago, while Kain was watching the conversation, sometimes chiming in every now and then.

The night seemed to end in a flash, though it had been nearly 4 hours since the Dia family had arrived. Reks and Vanille had both fallen asleep, Reks being tucked in by Ashe in his small room, while the Dia clan made their way out, heading home to go to sleep themselves.

Aerith and Vaan seemed to hit it off fairly quickly. Tifa joked the pair, asking once when the wedding date was. This elicited a laugh from almost everyone in earshot. Aerith and Vaan gave nervous giggles, while Tifa, Yuna, Tidus, Kain and Ashe all laughed openly. Gamenern didn't say anything, despite a smile creeping onto his face. Not many people gave him the credit, but he knew exactly why the Dia clan was here, and why Aerith and Vaan were together. He wasn't mad that Vaan was looking to move away. He was actually happy, and he liked Aerith a lot. She was kind, like Ashe.

Gamenern and Fang had to share a room, since there wasn't anywhere else to sleep. Silently, the two made their way to their respective beds, wishing the other a good night before fading off to bed. Just a few minute after they had drifted to sleep, Ashe had come in to tuck them in a wish them sweet dreams, kissing their foreheads before leaving them.

Sleep was scared out of Gamenern and Fang when a loud explosion was heard nearby. While many people had tried to explain that sound as something else, Gamenern knew exactly what was going on: a fal'Cie was attacking. That explosion was a magical spell, most likely a Ruinga. It was followed closely by the splintering of wood and the groaning of metal.

Before he could even realize what was going on, Vaan entered the room, panic evident on his face. "Come on, we gotta go!" He said urgently. Gamenern practically drug his sister out of the bed, running down the hallway with her in tow.

They didn't get far, because a large explosion engulfed them all. The last thing Gamenern heard was the frightened shriek of his sister Tifa before a deathly quiet covered his ears.

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><p>"The next thing I remember, I was in a hospital." Gamenern spoke, the trio sitting on a bench near the graves of Gamenern's family. "When I asked where my family was, the doctors told me that they only found me and Fang in the wreckage of our house." Again, tears threatened to fall but never did. Lebreau listened, feeling sorrow herself. She bit her lip, keeping questions to herself. She knew what it was like to lose your family suddenly.<p>

"I was the one who told Fang." He said after a second. His voice was thick with sorrow, but he continued. "She didn't believe me when I told her. She tried to run off, tried to go home. She got away from the hospital and saw the ruins." He sighed, clearing himself of his emotions. "She broke. Went into a depression. I've never seen her so upset. She couldn't bear it."

Lebreau soothingly rubbed Gamenern's back, in an effort to calm him. It worked to an extent. "It wasn't until after I joined the Army that I learned which fal'Cie attacked us." His emotions went from sorrow to anger, but it was a restrained form of hatred. "It was Barthandelus. Dysley." He confirmed, noting the slight confused look on Lebreau's face. "My family can finally rest."

The sun finally broke over the mountains, casting it's orange glow over the five tombstones of the Yun Clan. Each one seemed to glow, their names barely legible from the over 500 years of weathering they endured.

They were finally at peace.

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><p><strong>Well, there's Chapter 1. Next chapter should be up sometime soon, but no guarantees. My current computer doesn't have internet, so there is no way for me to post right after I complete the chapter.<strong>

**R&R  
><strong>


	2. Moving On

_**Transgression**_

**Alrighty, time for Chapter 2. This chapter goes to the orphanage, showing you the first few weeks after Barthandelus attacked Oerba. The development between Gamenern, Fang and Vanille is gone into, as well as how they coped with their situation. Other than that, not to much more to go into.**

**So, enjoy Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing, okay? Everything is owned by Square Enix, and the greedy bastards aren't sharing.**

**Word Count: 2724**

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><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 2: Standing Up

Midday in Oerba differed greatly from it's early morning. Whereas in the morning, only the most faithful early bird or dedicated worker would willing get up, most everybody was awake by now. As such, there was much more traffic, both foot traffic and vehicular.

Gamenern sat on a bench outside the park, watching his daughter playing with the other kids, Dajh included. The father of the boy, Sazh, was sitting on a bench nearby, his new girlfriend, Annika, next to him, both of them watching Dajh.

Despite the fairly carefree atmosphere of the park, Gamenern wasn't thinking about happier times. Ever since he told Lebreau about his family, he couldn't take his mind off of the time he spent in the orphanage.

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><p>Half of Oerba attending the funeral of the Yun's. Many of the people there were known by Gamenern, who remained silent for the entire event. Fang was also quiet, but her quiet was a more troubling one. Unlike Gamenern, who at least showed slight emotion, Fang showed absolutely nothing. She looked even throughout, a stark contrast to what many people thought she was feeling inside.<p>

Gamenern learned a few days later that his family was not the only one killed in the attack. The Dia clan was found dead in the same attack. It was peculiar, this attack. Unlike many other fal'Cie, which razed anything and everything they saw, this one only attacked the Yun and Dia clans. No one knew which fal'Cie was responsible for the attack, only that it was from the Nest. Cocoon.

At that moment, Gamenern knew what he would do. He would take his revenge on the ones who killed his family. He would make certain of it.

The day after the funeral, Gamenern was approached by the matron, Rinoa. "Gamenern." She said softly. The boy hadn't spoken much since he arrived. Not many war orphans did. Rinoa had seen many orphans come and go in her time as matron. The brunette looked up, signaling Rinoa to continue.

"As I'm sure you're aware, your family wasn't the only one lost in the attack." She kept her tone cautious. When Gamenern nodded, she continued. "We normally have the older orphans do this, but I need you and Fang to take care of Vanille." Rinoa motioned to the small redhead, who hadn't done much besides eat since she arrived. She rarely slept, and when she did, it was plagued by nightmares.

Gamenern understood. He would protect her as if she was his own sister. "I understand, matron. I'll let Fang know." Gamenern said, standing up and approaching the young girl. Rinoa stood by as Gamenern got closer to Vanille.

"Hey…" Gamenern started, sitting next to Vanille on the small bed. The girl instinctively scooted away. "I won't hurt you. Do you remember me?" He asked softly. The girl looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.

"Good, that's good." He spoke, still keeping his voice soft. He never had to soothe a child before, but he had to learn. For his sake, Fang's sake, and Vanille's sake. He motioned for Vanille to move closer.

"I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, ya hear me?" He said, waiting for Vanille to react. The girl seemed to take comfort in his words. She moved closer and sat next to him, her small chocobo plush in hand. Rinoa felt a surprised smile creep to her face. Her decision seemed to work out perfectly.

A few minutes after Gamenern got Vanille to warm up to him, he left her to eat her lunch. She seemed reluctant to let him go, but Gamenern assured her that he'd be right back.

Fang was sitting on the couch in the orphanage's main room, the equivalent of a living room. It had a small radio, a television set and some lamps. The bookcase on the wall looked like it had seen better days, but it still stood. Gamenern approached the girl and sat next to her.

"Fang, matron wanted me to tell you something." He said, slightly hurt when Fang barely acknowledged him. "She said we need to take care of Vanille." He spoke casually, but Fang looked annoyed.

"Why?" She asked in annoyance. She grabbed a book laying on the table and opened in to the middle of the book. She had never read it before, but she hoped Gamenern would leave her if she was reading. When he didn't, she sighed. "Why do we have to take care of that brat?" Fang complained, still fake reading the book.

Gamenern looked taken aback. "Because, she lost her family too!" Gamenern half-shouted. It wasn't any louder than the noise coming from the dining area, but it was uncharacteristic of the boy. "She's in the same boat we are. What's your problem, anyway?" Gamenern shot back, surprised at Fang's distant response. He expected Fang to be difficult to work with, but why was she acting like this?

"It's not my problem what happens to that kid." Fang said simply, continuing her façade and even flipping a page in the book. Gamenern looked completely dumbstruck, then huffed.

"Fine. Be like that. I'll keep her safe." And with that, he left the girl to her book. Like he thought, she put the tome down as soon as he was gone.

The first few weeks at the orphanage were a difficult transition, but eventually, Fang got used to being an orphan. One thing she found out from the other orphans was that, with the War, more orphans were coming in than being adopted. It was almost saddening, hearing that, most likely, she'd grow up in the small building. Then again, the orphanage was like a big family.

Gamenern and Vanille were nearly inseparable. Ever since Gamenern got the girl to open up, she had become more accustomed to her situation. To be honest, Gamenern wasn't completely accustomed to being an orphan, but he knew he had no control over it. He could only hope for the best.

Fang still refused to aid Gamenern with Vanille, but she did at least talk with the girl. The three acted like family, though Fang was slightly distant at times. Most of the matrons assumed it was because she still felt upset about losing her family. More than likely, though, it was because Fang was too proud to admit she needed to be looked after.

There were a few different cliques in the orphanage. There was the clique Gamenern, Fang and Vanille were apart of, a group consisting of the children between 3 and 9 years old. There was the older group, from 9 to about 13, and then the final group, from 13 to 17. By Gran Pulse standards, 17 years old was considered of age, and by that time, most people had either married or were planning to marry, and usually had a child of their own. Orphans, though, are usually later to marry, as, without a family to arrange their marriage, they usually have to find their own spouse.

Another thing that was common in the orphanage was bullying. It was everywhere, of course, but it seemed that orphan bullies were much more merciless than usual bullies. Maybe it had to do with them not having a parent to reprimand them, or it was a sort of coping mechanism, making someone else suffer like they were.

Gamenern had to deal with more than enough bullies, but his lineage had allowed him to develop strength beyond the other children, even the ones much older than him.

Vanille, however, had no such heritage. The Dia clan was renowned as healers and salve makers, not fighters. Combined with Vanille's young age and distrust of other people, it was a recipe for bullying. Most of the children never bothered her when she was near Gamenern, which was often. Almost all the time, save for once.

Gamenern was still asleep, having made sure Vanille got to sleep soundly the night before. Fang was up and, out of the corner of her eye, watching Vanille. Fang may not have liked her situation, but she still respected her older brother enough to do what he asked of her, even if he did come off as bossy or arrogant at times. It was still early, but most of the other children were awake by now.

Vanille was playing with her worn out chocobo plush, which she had called "Bhakti", so Fang assumed that was what she named the doll. Bhakti looked like a mess, his yellow coat worn down and looking almost grey. He used to have the usual long, hairlike strands hanging off of his head, but they were torn off what looked like ages ago. Now, the chocobo looked almost dead.

There was a much older girl, Yota Gabra, hanging around. Fang didn't like Gabra to much. For some reason, Fang felt something was off about the girl. She had been living here for almost her whole life, but unlike Fang, she wasn't an orphan. She was abandoned by her father a few weeks after she was born, and, from what Fang gathered from the other children, her mother died in labor. Gabra must've held a serious grudge against her father, but since she couldn't take it out on him, she did the next best thing. She made the other orphan's lives a living hell.

Gabra approached Vanille and forcibly grabbed Bhakti from Vanille. "Hey! Give it back!" Vanille whined, trying to reach the doll, but Gabra was taller than even Fang. Vanille barely got her hands up to Gabra's forehead, so the older girl barely had to strain to keep the doll out of reach.

"No. It's mine now." Gabra taunted, toying with Vanille, sometimes bringing Bhakti down low enough for Vanille to grab, then pulling away before she grabbed it. Vanille continued to try and grab the doll, even jumping to reach him, but everything was in vain.

"Please! Give Bhakti back!" Vanille cried, tears streaming down her face. Gabra looked evil as she continued to keep the doll out of Vanille's reach.

Then, she took the doll in both hands and pulled the thin, long legs off of the doll. Vanille looked horrified as her plush was ruined in front of her. Gabra began to chuckle as she returned the doll to Vanille. "Here you go, runt." Gabra taunted, smiling widely. Fang had enough by now.

Vanille was refraining, barely, from bawling her eyes out at the ruined remains of her favorite doll. Fang stepped behind the younger girl, looking at Gabra with contempt.

"Oh, Fang." Gabra said casually. "I'm sorry. Did you want a shot?" Unbelievable. Gabra thought Fang was mad because Gabra didn't give Fang a chance at the torture? To Fang, doing that to Vanille was pure torture. Fang scoffed.

"No." She said coldly, her gaze not wavering one bit as continued to bore into Gabra. "What was that for?" Fang demanded, pointing to the now torn Bhakti as Vanille began to sob. The sound seemed to trigger an alarm in Gamenern, because the boy was up instantly.

"Just because your life sucks, that means you can just waltz around like you own the damn place!" Fang continued, now getting looks from the adults for her language. She didn't care. Gabra looked amused as she stared Fang down.

"Got a set on ya, dontcha, Yun?" Gabra noted, stepping closer to Fang. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, kid." Gabra warned, her hands now curled in fists. The adults looked ready to intervene, and Gamenern had approached. He deduced what had transpired from the mess in front of Vanille.

"No, you don't know who you're dealing with, kid." Fang countered, her voice easily mocking Gabra's tone and accent. Gabra growled, then swung at Fang.

Fang ducked the blow, and went to counter, but the older girl blocked the blow. Gamenern instantly jumped forward, grabbing Vanille and getting her away from the fight as the adults tried to get close enough to break it up. Gabra was able to get herself positioned on top of Fang, trying to bludgeon the younger girl's face in. Fang, however, had more experience with brawls than Gabra expected, and the Yun girl reversed their positions, now forcing Gabra to go defensive.

When some of the adults saw that Gabra was in the fight, and that she was being stood up to, they looked hesitant to stop it. Gabra had been bullying the other children for years. Perhaps a taste of her own medicine would do some good. They still stood ready to intervene in case it got out of hand, but they seemed almost content to let the girls beat each other senseless.

The other children had gathered around them and were rooting for either girl. They were back on their feet, circling each other like a hunter and his prey. Gabra struck first, using an uppercut to distract Fang, then spinning around with a roundhouse kick. For an 8 year old, the girl was very nimble. Fang saw the kick coming and put her arms up to stop it, then grabbed the leg and pulled Gabra towards her, stiff arming her in the face while doing so. Gabra fell over with a pained growl, gripping her nose. Blood seeped through her fingers as she snarled.

"You're done." Gabra growled, charging Fang once more. Despite Fang's impressive ability, Gabra's shear strength was enough to turn the fight into her favor. The adults were preparing to step in and break it up now that blood had been drawn. A well placed punch to Fang's jaw busted her lip, and another blow to her cheek made her bite her tongue, not biting any of it off but cutting it. Fang spat out blood as she coughed, but Gabra wasn't gonna let her recover. She brought her fist back, ready to hit Fang one last time, this time in the temple.

Vanille saw this and rushed in, charging into Gabra. The move knocked Gabra off balance, and Fang used it to slug Gabra heavily across the cheek. The older girl went sprawling onto the floor, her vision full of large black and blue spots, as well as multi colored stars. Fang huffed for a while after the blow, barely able to stand up straight. After a few seconds, Gabra got up, but instead of standing at full height, she dragged herself away from the fight.

The children began cheering as Gabra admitted defeat. Fang had, unintentionally, put an end to an era of bullying. As soon as they could, they all surrounded Fang, thanking her and congratulating her. Even Gamenern was impressed at the display. Perhaps Fang wasn't completely detached after all.

Almost instantly, Vanille threw her arms around Fang's midsection in a tight hug. Fang groaned involuntarily as Vanille put pressure on a few most likely bruised ribs. "Thank you, Fang! Thank you!" The redhead cried, smiling thankfully at the brunette. Fang just gave a small smirk.

"Don't mention it."

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><p>Gamenern was broken from his thoughts when Penelo approached, followed closely by Dajh, Sazh, Annika and Vanille. When Vanille had arrived, Gamenern had no clue. Still, he gave her a small wave.<p>

"Uncle Gamenern!" Dajh cried, charging closer to the man. Gamenern chuckled lightly as the young boy approached, chased by Penelo. Sazh muttered something as he shook his head. Vanille just giggled.

"So, what brings you here?" Gamenern asked Vanille as Dajh continued to evade Penelo. The redhead smiled as she approached.

"Fang told me to leave." She said jokily, sitting on the bench next to where Gamenern was, while Sazh and Annika took up the rest of the bench on the other side of Vanille. Gamenern chuckled.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so bossy with the wedding planning." Gamenern joked, nudging Vanille lightly. The girl frowned in mock anger, poking Gamenern in the side, getting the desired jump from the man. Sazh cocked an eyebrow as Gamenern flinched.

"What?" Gamenern asked to the older man. "You ever had someone do that to you, old man?" Sazh muttered something that Gamenern didn't hear, but smiled nonetheless. Annika sighed in exhaustion.

Gamenern went back to keeping an eye on the children when he heard Sazh yelp, Vanille giggle, and Annika laughing heartily.

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><p><strong>Well, there it is. Chapter 2 up and done. Hopefully you've enjoyed it so far. Next chapter should be up soon, and should take place a few years after this one does.<strong>

**Until then!**


	3. Growing Pains, Part I

_**Transgression**_

**Well, hello! Looks like I've finally written the first two part chapter of the trilogy. I normally try to put all the nessiccary information into each single chapter, but I wasn't even through typing what is in this chapter before I saw the length. I try to keep my chapters between 5-8 pages on my Works Word Processor (Yes, I use Works).**

**Anyway, it's a little OC biased throughout, focusing on Gamenern as he developed as a hunter before the War. I'm not sure what you guys think of my OCs. I've been given some good and some bad feedback on Gamenern, but not enough to get a good understanding of his reception. So, I'll try to limit the OC heavy chapters to what is only extremely important.**

**As for a posting schedule, I've been planning to go onto a bi-weekly schedule, posting on Mondays and Thursdays. This week will be an exception given that it's Thanksgiving, and I won't be posting next Monday. Instead, I'll start this schedule next Thursday.**

**Well, with that, I hope you enjoy Chapter 3, Part I.**

**Word Count: 3158**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing.**

* * *

><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 3: Growing Pains, Part I

Gamenern woke up shortly before sunrise every day. It was his normal routine, one he had been following since he was starting out as a hunter. Normally he was the first one up. But today he wasn't.

He noticed, as he was clearing the sleep from his head, that Lebreau wasn't in the bed with him. He heard some movement outside of the bedroom, in the living area. He sat up and looked at the clock. 5:29AM, it read. So he didn't sleep in. So what was going on?

He stepped out of the room to see Lebreau, still in her sleeping outfit, watching the TV. Not that there was much on this early, though. Gamenern walked over and took a seat next to her.

"What are you doing up?" Gamenern asked, leaning back. Normally he would either take a shower or fix breakfast for his family, but he figured a little distraction wasn't to big of a deal.

"Couldn't sleep." Lebreau answered, laying her head on Gamenern's shoulder. The man wrapped his arms around her, holding her closer. "Not sure why, though." She continued. Gamenern nodded, understanding how insomnia could feel.

"Well, if you're not too tired, I'll get breakfast started." The hunter offered, still holding Lebreau. The woman nodded into Gamenern's chest, a few seconds before he let her go start his task.

Breakfast was a simple meal of pancakes, sausage and eggs. The two ate in companionable silence before Lebreau broke it.

"Kinda reminds me of our first date." She commented, smiling on the memory. Granted, it wasn't as impressive as this. Gamenern had tried to cook a meal for her, and he was normally a good cook. However, as if the gods were screwing around with him, everything went wrong. He burnt the first batch of dinner, then he didn't put one ingredient into the casserole and it didn't taste as good as it could. Eventually, the two just ate out at a restaurant nearby.

"Yeah, it kinda does." Gamenern said as he gulped down some orange juice. "Turned out better, I hope." He joked, setting the drink on the table. Lebreau smiled.

"Hey, Gamenern?" She asked after Gamenern started to clean the table of the empty plates. The man slowed his movements at Lebreau's tone of voice.

"Yeah?" He replied, looking over to the woman. She gave a short sigh.

"Did you ever date anyone? Y'know, before Haala?" She asked carefully. Gamenern stopped for only a brief second, and Lebreau regretted asking the question. Was this something he'd rather forget?

"Yeah." He said finally. He put the last plate into the sink and sat down on the couch in the house. "I dated a little before I got with Haala." He said slowly, unsure of how to explain his situation.

"What was she like?" Lebreau asked, sitting on the couch next to Gamenern. The older man sighed heavily as he thought back to the first woman he ever loved.

"Well, she was sorta rude." Gamenern said truthfully. "I didn't like her for the longest time, and she didn't like me. Fang even beat her up when we first got to the orphanage." Gamenern said. "But, she save my life. Twice. And I saved her life. We just grew on to each other." Lebreau nodded, allowing Gamenern to tell his story.

* * *

><p>Hunters were like superheroes to younger children in Oerba. The village had a rich heritage of hunters, and was originally no more than a tavern on a road that hunters stopped in to rest while on a hunt.<p>

To the orphans of Oerba, hunters were more than heroes. They were legends. Not many orphans went on to be successful hunters, but in just the span of a few days, two orphans became Apprentice Hunters, the first step on the road to huntership; Yun Gamenern, whose acceptance was foreseen by just about everyone in the town, and Yota Gabra. Gabra shocked many when she passed the test to become an Apprentice. She originally had been a bad character years ago, but she had matured. She was older than Gamenern, though the boy, just 14 years old, had more muscle and strength on him.

Upon their acceptance into the clan, Gamenern and Gabra were placed in the same hunting party, headed by Elder Gama Hassen. Hassen had been a hunter for almost 20 years, and was the most experienced hunter in all of the northlands. His primary weapon was a rifle he called "Arbiter", a rifle designed around ease of movement and accuracy. He trained several of Oerba's young hunters, teaching them about the ways of the lands.

Gamenern was given his choice of weapons from the large variety in the weapon's market. All hunters are allowed a simple, cheap weapon from the market. The merchants here had no problem allowing new hunters to have a simple weapon to get them started, but still maintained business by continuing to make high quality weapons. Gamenern chose a simple axe, short and easy to wield. It was able to double as a sword on the back side, and it's small size meant it took up little space in Gamenern's ruck.

After a thorough examination of her choices, Gabra chose to use a simple falchion. While slightly heavier than she was used to using, Gabra liked the way the blade fit in her hands, and she quickly overlooked the one flaw in the blade. The party practiced their maneuvers in the training grounds shortly after finding their weapons.

Fang and Vanille were among the few spectators of the practice session. While open to the public, not many people attended the newer hunters' training. Mostly, they attended the bi-annual games held at the town showcasing the best hunters from around Gran Pulse. This year was to be a big event, to be sure.

"Hey, Fang?" Vanille asked the older brunette. Fang looked down to the redhead with a puzzled face.

"Yeah?" Fang asked, leaning forward in her seat. She was watching Gamenern and Gabra spar, but the duel was currently heavily one sided in Gamenern's favor.

"What do hunters do for us?" The younger girl asked. She had an inkling of what the hunters did, but she hadn't heard a definitive answer from the adults. Fang huffed, then turned back to the fight.

"Well, the hunters protect us from the monsters out there." Fang said, raising an eyebrow when Gabra began surmounting an offense against Gamenern. The boy wasn't done, but neither was Gabra. Vanille huffed in displeasure, and Fang continued.

"Well, they make sure those beasts that roam out there don't get us." Fang added, worried when Vanille didn't acknowledge Fang's answer. "Why? What's on your mind, Van?"

The redhead sighed, her eyes pointed to the floor of the bleachers. "Well, they're supposed to protect us. But what happens when they can't?" Vanille spoke, her voice dangerously close to tears. So, that's what it was. She was afraid for Gamenern. Fang wrapped her arm around Vanille's shoulders, pulling her into a loose hug.

"He'll be fine, Vanille. You'll see." Fang said, her voice brimming with confidence.

Fang understood where Vanille was coming from. Gamenern and Fang were the only family Vanille had left. Fang herself was worried about Gamenern. But, like her older brother, Fang had already applied to take the tests starting next month. She hoped to follow into Gamenern's footsteps, being the hunter she always dreamed of.

It had been a few days since Gamenern became a hunter, and he was finally given his first lone hunt. Well, not lone, but he didn't have to worry about Elder Hassen breathing down his neck. This mark was a simple one. A few munchkins had been spotted outside Oerba, and Gamenern and Gabra were given the task of taking them out.

Gamenern didn't like Gabra too much. Ever since that day when Fang beat her in that fight, the girl had made it her personal mission to get back at Fang. Gamenern, however, made it nearly impossible. He was half expecting the girl to leave him out to dry if it came down to him or her. Still, Gamenern knew that Gabra was the only person out there with him.

He had to trust her. He just hoped that trust wasn't misplaced.

They were sent out at daybreak, along with about four other parties. While their's wasn't a big hunt or a pivotal one, it still was dangerous. Sending two rookie hunters out on their own was a gamble that could prove disastrous. Still, they had to learn to be independent. You may be sent out with a full party, but there was no telling if you would be alone by the end of the hunt. Gran Pulse was dangerous, even without the War.

Gamenern and Gabra were only a few minutes out of Oerba when the sun finally broke over the mountains. Gamenern looked over to his companion. She looked poised, ready, but there was no telling if she was determined to kill the mark or Gamenern. So, Gamenern knew he had to watch his back.

They were crossing the Palisades near the majestic Taejin's Tower by midday. Their mark was still a ways away, and would most likely take a day or two to find and kill. So, the pair packed up some simple to make food. Gamenern and Gabra were able to take down a lone gorgonospid roaming uncharacteristically north than they normally came. The meat would be stored for future meals.

Gamenern worked the fire while Gabra kept guard. Even in the small cliff-side cave they were in, they weren't safe. Amphisbaena were common here, and this cave could actually be one of their nests. If that was the case, well, then the two were in deep.

"So, what's the plan?" Gabra asked, breaking the long, uneasy silence the two shared since leaving Oerba. Gamenern handed her a slab of cooked gorgon haunch, then busied himself with his portion.

"Well, we obviously gotta find our mark." Gamenern said, leaning back and taking a drink of his water bottle. He had three bottles full of water, though he was almost done with this one. "After that, depending on the time, we take it out. If it's late, we'll set up camp nearby and kill it in the morning. Might even get a jump on 'em that way." Gabra hummed in response, taking a bite of the meat.

"Sounds good to me." She spoke, finishing off her bottle. She only had two with her, expecting that they could fill their water at the springs nearby. She decided to take it easy on the drink.

They finished their lunch and began to trek across the raged terrain when they were spotted by a Managarmr. Gamenern noticed the beast before Gabra and threw the girl out of it's path.

"Hey, watch-!" She started, but she saw the white/grey hound bearing down on them after it was evaded, and prepared it's counterattack.

Gamenern and Gabra took up their battle stances and charged, being dodged by the swift beast. After getting around their attack, the Managarmr spewed it's breath over the pair. Gamenern was able to avoid most of it, but Gabra got hit by the full spread of ailments.

"Damn it." Gamenern swore under his breath. These beasts were hard for a full party to take out, and Gamenern knew that, with Gabra in the condition she was in, they wouldn't be able to survive this encounter. So, Gamenern grabbed Gabra, slung the weakened girl over his shoulders and ran towards the springs. The beast quickly pursued, cutting in front of him.

Gamenern barreled straight into the beast, hitting it in the face with his knee. It wouldn't stop it, but the blow would slow it down some. Gamenern was breathing heavily as he continued to run.

But the beast caught him with a leaping tackle, sending him and Gabra to the ground, rolling from the momentum. Gamenern got to a battle stance, ready to fight this beast off. He wouldn't leave Gabra behind, even if she did hate his guts.

"You picked the wrong fight." Gamenern said, waiting for the beast to charge him. It didn't, so Gamenern decided to make the first blow. Instead, he was greeted by a storm bolt nearly electrocuting him. He had to strafe left to avoid the attack, and almost went careening over the edge of the cliff.

Gabra was starting to get feeling back in her body when she saw Gamenern dodge the storm bolt to almost go falling off the cliff.

She took her falchion out, ready to charge, when the beast lunged at Gamenern again, sending both of them over the edge of the cliff.

"Gamenern!" Gabra shouted, rushing to the drop. She carefully looked over the edge and saw that Gamenern was hanging onto a root jutting out of the wall. She reached down, not able to grab the boy's hand.

Gamenern was breathing heavily from his near death experience. When he fell, he instinctively reached out towards the rock wall. He was lucky to have grabbed onto the root. If he hadn't, he'd most likely be just like the Managarmr at the bottom of the crevice. A pile of flesh, blood and bone.

He had likely dislocated his left shoulder from the sudden shift of momentum, and with his adrenaline slowly fading away, he began to feel the pain he should've. He looked up to see Gabra reaching down to him, trying to grab his hand.

"Give me a second." He called up, trying to get a footing on the wall. He was able to do so, and with some pulling, he grabbed Gabra's hand.

The girl almost went over with him when she began to pull on Gamenern's weight. Gamenern used his footing to reduce the load on Gabra, and slowly, he walked up the cliff wall.

When he reached the top, he could've sworn he heard Gabra sigh in relief. He couldn't have, though. Could he? Did Gabra let go of the grudge she held with him?

"Why'd you save me?" Gabra asked. Gamenern was about to ask the same question. He recovered for a moment before answering.

"I don't care about what happened to us growing up." Gamenern started, sitting up slightly. "I got put into a hunting party with you, so that means I need to watch out for you." Gamenern then shifted more, and instantly regretted it. He hissed in pain as his dislocated shoulder continued to grow more and more painful.

"You're shoulder…" Gabra examined the joint, and she could tell, from the bulge in the flesh that it was out of place. She reached to grab it and Gamenern inhaled sharply to keep from howling in pain.

"You know how to relocate a joint?" Gamenern asked after the pain lessened. Gabra shook her head, almost worried she wouldn't be able to help. "I'll walk you through it." He agreed, allowing Gabra to help him sit up against a rock.

"Okay, you need to push the shoulder up and in in one motion." He said, slightly tentative. Gabra looked at the pain he was in and grabbed his arm, ready to move.

"What about the pain?" She asked before she did anything. Gamenern gave her a cocky smile.

"Guess I'll find out." He said, trying to keep his voice confident. Gabra nodded, then started to fix the joint.

As soon as she started moving the dislocated joint, Gamenern felt a sharp pain shoot through his body. It felt worse than when he dislocated it. He felt a thick pop resound throughout his body as the pain hit it's peak, and Gamenern couldn't hold back a pained howl before he lost consciousness.

The next thing Gamenern remembered seeing was a beautiful waterfall some distance away. He sat up, his arm dull with the pain, and looked around.

To his right, he heard Gabra sigh.

"Thank Etro." She said, putting a slab of gorgon steak in front of Gamenern. He took it with a small thanks.

"Where are we?" He asked, biting into the food. He was surprised to taste different spices in the meat, something he didn't seem to mind. Gorgon meat wasn't the most tasteful food on Gran Pulse.

"Sulyya Springs." Gabra said, sipping on her bottle of water. Gamenern nodded, still savoring the flavors of the food he was eating. Gabra chuckled. "Thought you'd like those." She motioned to the steak.

"What's in it?" He asked before taking another bite, the food somehow making him forget about the pain in his shoulder. Gabra pulled out some herbs from her rucksack.

"A few herbs I found nearby." She said, giving a gesture that Gamenern assumed meant that they were in the bushes that Gamenern was seeing all over the springs.

"Not bad." He complimented, taking another bite of the food. He swore he could've saw Gabra blushing after he said the words.

After finishing his meal, Gamenern noticed that Gabra looked paler than usual. "You alright?" He asked, moving closer to examine her. He felt her forehead and frowned. "You've got a fever. The poison must be starting to affect you." He grumbled something as he stood up. "Stay here. I'll be back in a second." He grabbed his weapon and his water before marching onward.

He may not know as much about herbs as Gabra seemed to know, but Gamenern knew how to use herbs to heal poison. Seeing as he also was hit by the poison breath of the Managarmr, he'd be feeling it's effects before long.

He found the plant he was looking for, Kingstalk, a blue/red flower with a deathly black stem. The herb could be ground up to make a simple antidote. Gamenern took a generous sample of the bush and stuffed it into his ruck.

He got back to Gabra to see her laying down, breathing heavily. "Hang on." Gamenern said shortly, busying himself with the task of fixing the antidote. After crushing the plant against a rock, he took the ground up remains and put them into one of his water bottles. After shaking it for a few seconds, Gamenern handed it to Gabra.

"Drink this, it should help." He said, and Gabra weakly did so. Her face reflected the gag reflex she did after swallowing the drink. Gamenern stifled a chuckle.

"What the hell is that?" Gabra asked, taking a big gulp of her water to clear the taste. Gamenern smiled.

"Kingstalk." He said, swirling the bottle around a little. "It's used in most simple antidotes. Fights off all but the most powerful poisons, and can cure weak ones like that." He motioned back to the Palisades, where their foe was rotting at the bottom of a crevice. Gamenern took a sip of the antidote and almost gagged himself.

"Never said it tasted good, though."

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><p><strong>Happy Turkey Day!<strong>


	4. Growing Pains, Part II

_**Transgression**_

**Well, here you go, guys! Chapter 4 is up and ready for you to read. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3612**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Final Fantasy series except for four games and a game guide. And I don't think that counts…**

* * *

><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 4: Growing Pains, Part II

Gamenern saw that sunset was soon approaching, and they had little sunlight left. Seeing as how they were in the springs, Gamenern decided to camp out here tonight. He had a fire going inside of a small cave that served as a shelter. Rarely, if ever, did large monsters enter the Springs. Most of the time, the most dangerous foe in the Springs was Bismark, but he rarely, if ever, attacked unprovoked.

The fire was fueled by several twigs and logs the pair had found nearby. Dinner was going to be some Ceratosaur and Ceratoraptors that Gamenern caught after they made their camp. The fish/frog creatures were currently roasting over the flames while Gabra busied herself with cleaning her weapon.

Gamenern had felt…different…around Gabra ever since they left Oerba, and it had changed since then. He learned he could trust her to watch his back, but what he felt wasn't gratitude. It was more…primal than that. He would be spending the next few days with Gabra, in the wilds of Pulse, with no supervision.

Gamenern shook his head of the thoughts. He had to remember that Gabra had given him, Fang and Vanille hell for the last 6 years. She wasn't a friend of theirs. But, if that was the case, why did he feel flustered around her? Was there an attraction between the two?

Even so, what did Gabra feel? Was she feeling this force like he was, or was she still planning on getting back at him for what Fang had done to her?

If there was ever a time Gamenern wished he could read minds, it was now.

He looked up to see Gabra quickly return her eyes to her falchion, sharpening it with some leather and a sharpening stone. Was she stealing a glance at him? And why was he not looking away?

In the crackling firelight and the setting sun, he could make out almost every feature on Gabra's face. She still had the roundness one has in childhood, but her face was beginning to set into a sharper one. Her eyes were an unusual red, but right now they did not convey anger, hatred or annoyance. If anything, they conveyed…embarrassment? Her face looked slightly red, but whether that was from the cold, the light or something else was not clear.

Gabra's body was also in a state of change. It wasn't that of a child's, but it had yet to become a woman's body. It was still developing in areas around her chest, and as soon as Gamenern began to think about it, he broke his gaze on the girl's body, his face warm with embarrassment.

'This isn't right…is it?' Gamenern asked himself. He was seriously confused. He knew that feeling an attraction to someone was normal. He was actually further behind than some of his friends when it came to a girlfriend. Most of it had to do with him being an orphan, but another part of him felt something he never thought he'd feel. Shyness. He was able to hold a conversation with almost anyone, even girls he found attractive. However, if he ever tried to vocalize those feelings, he'd get all choked up.

But, Gabra was different. She was not the most beautiful girl in all of Oerba, but she wasn't unattractive, either. But he never saw that until now. Was he just blind to it? Or was he so angry with Gabra that he just refused to see it?

The smell of nearly burning meat brought Gamenern's mind down from wherever it was. He turned the Ceratosaur that was overly well done and allowed the other half of it to roast. He did the same with the other dead beasts as he stole another glance at Gabra.

She was no longer sharpening the blade, but instead training with it. She was going through the simple motions she knew with the weapon. Falchions were slightly heavier than the swords that Gamenern liked, but the weapon was much broader and a hell of a lot stronger than any blade Gamenern ever used. Gabra seemed to quickly get over the weight of the weapon and was using it elegantly. She moved in perfect rhythm to some invisible beat in her head. It almost looked like a dance. A dance of death.

Gamenern had trained with her, using wooden weapons, cut and weighted to replicate their weapons perfectly. In battle, Gabra was no pushover. She could even hold her own against Gamenern in a duel, though Gamenern wasn't sure if Gabra had the same brute strength he had. Perhaps, then, her strength lied in her cunning. She never was backed into a corner for long. Her ability to read a situation and analyze possible solutions made her one of the deadliest apprentices in Oerba.

Gabra caught Gamenern's gaze on her and paused. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before turning away, embarrassment flushing their faces. A silence that was only marred by the popping of the fire fell over the two as Gabra sat down against the cave wall, her falchion slid back into it's sheath.

When the meal was finally finished, Gamenern set one of the creatures on a plate. He handed it to Gabra, who took it with a silent smile. Gamenern returned it slightly, that familiar thickness building in his throat. He couldn't say a thing and sound like his normal self right now. So, he just grabbed a roasted Ceratoraptor and began to tear it apart, starting with the legs.

The fire extinguished itself about an hour after they finished their meal. In it's absence, the cool, Pulsian air invaded the cave. Fall was fast giving way to winter, and with it came the snowfalls that could cover Oerba in white. For the most part, the hunting business slowed down in the cold months, at least around Oerba, as less creatures were out and roaming the land.

Sleep was beginning to fall onto Gamenern, and it seemed to be affecting Gabra as well. She leaned against the cave wall, curled into a tight ball, breathing steadily. She wasn't asleep, because she was looking out to what she could see of the night sky.

She suddenly shook with a fierce shiver, feeling the cold bite at her. She curled up tighter, her knees touching her cheeks as she tried to warm her body. She was half tempted to restart the fire, but that would attract the various creatures nearby.

Gamenern saw her shaking from the cold out of the corner of his eye. To be honest, he was cold, too. But she seemed to be affected by it more than he was.

'You aren't thinking of going over there, are you?' He asked himself. Part of him was against the notion, but the kinder part of him was not. Sharing body heat was something that was necessary, especially out here in the cold Pulsian nights. Finally, he made his decision.

He stood up and approached Gabra. She took note of his presence and looked up.

"Is s-something wr-wrong?" She stuttered, the cold making it nearly impossible for her to talk. Gamenern sat down in front of her, then laid down next to her.

"You're freezing." He said when he put a hand on her shoulder. The girl shuddered again as he touched her. He pressed his chest against her back and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "It may not be comfortable, but this should help." He said softly.

Gabra admitted that she instantly felt warmer when Gamenern held her. She was, however, so flushed with embarrassment that her stutter had yet to relent.

"Th-thank y-y-you." She spoke, uncurling from the ball she was in and relaxing slightly. She wouldn't say it aloud, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Not one bit.

Morning light shining through the mountains woke Gamenern up. He looked around at the springs, seeing the light shining off of various waterfalls and pools. He had to admit it was a beautiful sight.

He felt shifting in his arms, and instinctively flinched at the motions. He saw Gabra's face merely inches from his. He froze, his mind incapable of processing even the task of breathing. Up close, Gamenern could make out every contour, ever valley of Gabra's face. She looked even more attractive asleep.

The ruckus Gamenern made stirred Gabra, who cracked an eye open and went rigid. Slowly, she pushed herself away from Gamenern, who was still less responsive than a vegetable. Once she was free of Gamenern's arms, she stood up, her face crimson.

"What…was…that..?" She asked, her voice barely able to form in her throat. Gamenern slowly picked himself off of the floor and dusted his clothing off, anything to busy himself.

"Dunno." He said when he relearned how to talk. He moved over to the remains of the fire and cleared it of ash. "I guess you turned over in your sleep." He said softly. He felt something other than embarrassment in his chest.

'Yeah, you've fallen for her. Hard.' He told himself. The real question, now, was did she like him back?

"Okay." Gabra said, looking through her rucksack for the kindle they packed for the journey. When she found it, she handed it to Gamenern.

Gamenern placed the final amphibian over the fire shortly after it was built. While it was cooking, Gamenern had to force himself to look somewhere other than Gabra. He couldn't resist it sometimes, but he managed to become intrigued with the actions of a group of sahagin that were nearby. The bird/fish creatures either didn't notice the pair or didn't care.

Still, Gamenern occasionally saw Gabra stealing glances at him. Part of him felt flattered, honestly, but the most of him felt…thrilled? Was that the word? If Gamenern was reading Gabra's vibes right, it meant that she liked him, too. Which was the one reason why he never talked to girl, because he didn't know if they liked him back. The same part of him saying this wanted to say something about it. Rationally, though, this was not the time nor the place to be acting on those feelings.

When their meal was finished roasting, it was split amongst the two. Gamenern ate his portion quickly, hoping that the sooner he finished, the sooner they could get back to the road. They were slightly behind schedule, and Gamenern didn't know if their target would still be where it was sighted. However, Munchkins rarely travel far, sticking to a single nest, so there was still a chance.

The two were back on their trek less than an hour later. They had just gotten through the toughest leg of the trip, a rocky pass that was rarely used anymore. Gamenern was leading and Gabra was lagging behind, the two of them ready for anything that might try to attack them.

Gamenern put his fist up to signal Gabra to stop. She did right next to Gamenern, looking over the slight hill. Just below them were the group of red goblins, looking as though they were dancing to some tribal beat. Gamenern saw the biggest threat, the Maestro, and pointed to it.

"That thing will be taken out last." He told Gabra, and she nodded. "If I remember right, the little one's evolve into a bigger one when they lose their leader. So, we'll need to kill the little ones first to have a chance." Gamenern said, drawing his axe from the ruck. He set the pack on a rock nearby, and Gabra did the same. Her falchion in hand, she stood to Gamenern's left.

"Now." He said.

The two ran down to the group of four Munchkins and their Maestro. The red creatures noticed the intruders and growled, before charging back. Instantly, two of the little ones were beheaded, their round, doughnut-like bodies twitching a few times before stilling. The remaining beasts became angered with their friends' deaths, and instantly become more powerful. The Maestro was busy making his underlings more powerful with his buffs, quickly making the fight a more dangerous affair.

Gamenern hacked at one of the smaller ones and was rewarded as the beast's left arm became nothing more than a backscratcher, falling to the ground limply. The monster howled in pain before Gabra impaled it's head with her falchion, killing it.

The last remaining Munchkin, in a rage from losing it's comrades, evolved into another Maestro. Gamenern jumped back, Gabra slightly ahead of him. "Oh, shit." He swore, looking at the options. "We take 'em out one at a time." He said, pointing to the first Maestro. Gabra nodded, then followed him into their attack.

Gamenern hacked at the Maestro, whose skin was more durable than it's underlings. The newer Maestro made it even harder to damage it when he cast a Protect spell over their target.

Gamenern backed away as Gabra began her offensive. She used the maneuvers she practiced in the cave the night before in conjunction with a few newer moves, making her dance look that much more impressive. Gamenern shook his head. 'Focus! This ain't the time to go gaga!' He reprimanded himself, charging in and attack the Maestro.

Under the joint attack by the two hunters, the Maestro finally succumbed and died. That left just one.

The Maestro in question saw it's partner nearing death and stopped casting buffs to charge the pair of hunters. He snuck up on Gamenern, his arm back and ready to slug the man with a powerful punch.

Gabra saw this only seconds before it actually happened. "Gamenern, look out!" She cried, pushing Gamenern out of the way. The fist hit the ground where Gamenern stood less than a second ago. Gabra brought her falchion up and cut a deep gash along the Maestro's face, it's purple/black blood seeping from the wound. Gamenern countered by swinging heavily at the Maestro's neck, cutting what he hoped was the beast's carotid. When the beast began to stagger around aimlessly (quite a feat for something with wheels for feet), Gamenern impaled the it with his hunting knife in the neck. The beast went down, a gurgling howl leaving it's body before it died.

Gamenern was panting heavily from the fight as he gathered what he could salvage from the dead bodies. All he got were three infernal horns, proof enough that he had completed his hunt, but not worth a damn thing otherwise.

After he completed his task, he stood up and saw Gabra busy wiping blood from her blade. Gamenern saw the slight worry in her face when she pushed him away from the incoming blow.

"Thank you." He said, grabbing a cloth to wipe the blood from his axe. Gabra seemed flustered as she nodded in return. "That's twice you've saved me, now." He joked, not too worried with the thicker blood on his axe as he put it back into his rucksack.

"I…You're welcome." Gabra said, sheathing her falchion and grabbing her pack. Gamenern looked up to sky as she readied herself.

"If we hurry, we might be able to get back to Oerba before sunset." Gamenern said, pulling out an energy bar. "Think you can handle the trip back with just these?" He asked, handing another bar to Gabra. The girl nodded, taking the snack and smiling.

Just as Gamenern expected, the two were able to get back to Oerba an hour or so before sundown, though hunger was quickly gaining ground on the two. The pair first went to the Hunter's Hall, where all the hunters went to get marks that the Oerban Council deemed important. It was also where Elder Hassen was working.

"Gamenern, Gabra, you're back!" Hassen said as the two entered his office. Like a high ranking official in the military, Elder Hunters did as much deskwork as they did fieldwork. The graying man allowed his pupils to enter the room. "Did you get it?" He asked. Gamenern pulled out the horns he collected.

"Yes, sir." The boy said, setting them on the desk. Hassen looked them over, then smiled.

"That's the way. Good job." He praised, standing up. "Anyways, I'm sure you two are tired. Go to the commissioner to get your reward and go home." Gamenern and Gabra nodded before they left.

For their work, the two got 400 gil each, as well as their first Hunting Cross. Hunting Crosses were similar to service ribbons in the military. For every Hall hunt a hunter completed, he or she got a Hunting Cross. The number of Crosses a hunter owned were a testament to that hunter's skill. Some Crosses were more prestigious than others, and were only handed out for an extremely difficult or important hunt.

The pair shared no words as they returned to the orphanage. As soon as they entered the room, all the children cheered. From somewhere in the back, Vanille came running, throwing herself into Gamenern as soon as found him.

"Hey, kiddo. What's going on?" Gamenern said, prying the girl off of him. Vanille smiled widely.

"Well, Fang's been acting a little grumpy since you left, but not much has happened." Vanille started. Gamenern smiled as Gabra headed to the dining area.

"I have not!" Fang said, pushing her way through the crowd. "So, how was the hunt?" Fang asked, following Gamenern as he unintentionally lead the crowd of orphans to the couch. Gamenern plopped himself on the fabric, relaxing on it. "Did Gabra behave herself?"

Gamenern tensed slightly at the mention of Gabra. He knew Fang practically hated Gabra, and Vanille didn't like her, either. Though the two hadn't talked, it was clear from how they acted with each other that there was something between him and Gabra. How would they take to that? Vanille might be able to see past Gabra's history if Gamenern was happy, but Fang wouldn't be so easily swayed.

"Well, it was mainly a lot of walking." Gamenern said. "Though I almost got beat by one of those Managarmrs in the Palisades." Gamenern continued, noting the intrigued looks of the other orphans. They were enthralled with the tales of the various hunters, and now they could get firsthand accounts of a hunt. And so, the orphanage went quiet as Gamenern recounted his tale.

Gamenern needed fresh air after his dinner. Rinoa gave him and Gabra a proper meal, not the stew that they normally had. The two needed it. Gamenern slightly regretted skipping lunch after it became to late to change his mind.

He decided that the porch would be a good spot to get some air. He also needed some time alone to think about everything that had happened over the past two days. Of course, as his luck would have it, Gabra was outside on the porch as well.

"Oh, hey." She said when she heard the door open. She was sitting on the hammock, looking out at the constellations in the sky. Gamenern sat next to her, looking up to them. He could make out Orion, the mythical hunter that slew a herd of behemoths on his own. The most feared of the behemoths, Taurus, was fleeing from Orion while chasing the Seven Sisters.

"What are we, now?" Gabra asked suddenly. Gamenern gave her a puzzled look, unsure of where this was coming from.

"Whaddya mean?" Gamenern asked. Truthfully, though, he was wondering the same thing himself. If there was something between them, a physical attraction, what did that make them? Would they be considered boyfriend and girlfriend, or would they still be hunting partners?

"I've been thinking." Gabra started, looking up at the stars, as if asking them for guidance. "What is this…thing…between us?" She asked, still fixated on the stars. Gamenern turned to look at her, still confused. "If there is something between us, are we, then?" Gamenern began to understand what Gabra was asking him.

"Well, I guess that we are whatever we make of it." Gamenern said, making it sound like it was obvious. Still, he knew it wasn't. He had just now come up with it.

"Maybe you're right." She said, finally breaking her gaze on the stars above. She looked into Gamenern's eyes, her red orbs filled with certainty.

Both of them seemed to pull closer of their own will, like two magnets set just a few inches apart. Their kiss was soft and inexperienced, but sent chills throughout both of them. The feel of Gabra's lips was unlike anything Gamenern had every felt before. Who would've thought that they could be so soft?

As quickly as it started, their kiss ended. They looked at each other, several emotions swirling in their eyes.

"Well, I guess it's settled." Gamenern said simply, slowly turning his gaze to the sky once more. He heard Gabra hum in reply, then felt her rest her head on his shoulder.

'For warmth.' He thought.

'Yeah, keep telling yourself that.'

* * *

><p>Lebreau listened intently as Gamenern recalled how he fell for Gabra. It was kind of romantic.<p>

"So, what happened between you two?" Lebreau asked. Gamenern let out a large sigh as the question was asked. Lebreau instantly regretted asking the question.

"We…I…" Gamenern started, thinking back on what happened to end their relationship. There was a pain building in Gamenern's chest. Lebreau placed a hand on his cheek.

"If it's too painful to remember, you don't have to, okay?" She said, her voice full of certainty. Gamenern nodded. In a few ways, Lebreau was like Gabra. Strong willed and passionate. He grabbed Lebreau's hand in his own, holding it in place on his cheek.

"Thanks, Lebreau."

* * *

><p><strong>R&amp;R!<strong>


	5. Festival

_**Transgression**_

**Sorry for such the long wait between updates, guys! Family stuff kept me away from my computer for the last week or so. But, I'll be (hopefully) making it up to you guys soon! I've been working on my next fiction, and, if all goes well, it'll be posted sometime next week. Other than that, I really don't have too much to say.**

**Anyways, if you guys are getting tired of the story focusing on Gamenern more than Fang or Vanille, bear with me for this last chapter. There is a very good reason for what I'm doing here. You just have to trust me. Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 4302**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything within this fiction. Everything is used without permission.**

* * *

><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 5: Festival

"So, tell me again why you need my help?" Gamenern said as Fang dragged him through the mall to gods know where. The younger Pulsian sighed as she continued to lead her older brother through the crowds of people.

"Because you already have experience with this." Fang said simply. Gamenern raised an eyebrow as Fang stopped at a junction of three hallways.

"But where do I come in?" Gamenern asked, still confused. "Wouldn't Vanille be a little more, I dunno, suitable in this situation?" Fang shook her head vigorously as she started down one of the hallways.

"No." Fang said, finally stopping at what looked like a jewelry store. Gamenern looked puzzled.

"You already got your rings." Gamenern commented, pointing to the engagement band on Fang's ring finger. It looked like her Eidolith, shrunk and fitted onto a golden band. Fang shook her head.

"Not that one, the other one." Fang said, pointing to another store.

Gamenern followed Fang's finger and saw what looked like a high class catering service. "Catering." Gamenern drawled, hanging his head. "You brought me here to help you pick out your reception menu?" The man was thoroughly amused. Fang huffed.

"This isn't for my wedding, you dolt!" Fang shot to him. She shook her head again. "I wanna surprise Lightning with a really nice date before the wedding. I need you to help me plan it out." Oh, now Gamenern saw why he was picked for the task. Vanille couldn't keep a secret even if it meant Cocoon would fall from the sky. Hope was too young to really have the experience with this (at least, Fang and Gamenern hoped he didn't), Sazh was more of an old fashioned romantic, and Snow was, well, Snow. Fang considered talking to Serah, but she didn't want the younger Farron to know. Serah might tell Lightning, and that was something she wanted to avoid.

"Ah. I see." Gamenern said, scratching the back of his head. "I appreciate the thought, Fang, but you can ask Lebreau. I ain't really good at planning out dates." He chuckled. "Ask her about our first date."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "If I remember right, you did pretty well with Gabra." Gamenern turned a light red and Fang stifled her laughs, barely.

"Yeah, but, Gabra was different." Gamenern countered. "She's not like Lightning." Fang nodded, but wouldn't yield.

"Yeah, well, I still need yer help." Fang said, tugging on Gamenern's sleeve. Gamenern relented, following her inside. He felt a memory of the past swell over him again.

* * *

><p>Gamenern woke up with an odd feeling in his chest. He was tired from the last day's hunt, but it wasn't tiredness holding him in the bed longer than usual. No, his mind was preoccupied with what happened last night.<p>

The memory of the kiss was still paramount in his mind. The taste on his lips was…sweet. Like candy. It was a vast difference than what she had been like over the past few years. It was enjoyable.

Still, Gamenern was trying to find out why he fell for her, and why she fell for him. What happened between the two to bring them together like this? What actions, words, or looks created this attraction?

Gamenern was thinking about this when he saw Fang enter the room. He was the last one to wake, though no one blamed him. The hunt would've drained a lot out of him, or so they would think. Fang, though, looked like she either knew something, or wanted to know something.

"Why do you like her?" Were the first words Fang spoke. Yep, she knew about him and Gabra. But how? She must've seen the kiss, or saw them as they rested outside, sitting on the hammock and watching the stars trail through the sky. Gamenern sat up, stretched the sleep from his body, then shrugged.

"To be honest, Fang, I have no clue." He said, grabbing a vest from his clothing box near the foot of his bed. There wasn't a proper dresser in the orphanage, so boxes were all that the orphans could use to store their clothes. Fang snorted once, unamused.

"There has to be something, Gamenern." She said, this time hostility in her voice. "She's a bitch, you know that." Fang continued as Gamenern sat back on his bed, listening to Fang's rant. "She's made our lives a living hell for almost eight years!" Gamenern stayed quiet until Fang was finished, then smiled.

"Yeah, she has." Gamenern said, leaning back onto his bed. "But she saved my life twice. Both times she could've left me to die." Gamenern slapped his left shoulder a few times, the joint still dull from it's injury. "Hell, she even fixed my shoulder, Fang." Gamenern then looked to Fang with a curious look. "What's it to you? It's not your business who I go out with."

Fang's face blanched slightly, before she huffed. "I know I can't tell you not to like her." Fang said, her arms dangling limply at her side. "But she's bad news, Gamenern." The older boy nodded, a goofy smile on his face.

"I'll be fine, Fang." He said, standing up and stretching. "Now, ya mind?" He said, motioning for Fang to leave the room. "I need to get changed into real clothes." His joking tone brought a smile to Fang's lips as she exited the room.

After leaving the room, Fang saw Gabra eating breakfast alone. Fang sighed, grabbing herself a bowl of cereal and sitting next to the girl. Gabra gave Fang an amused smirk as the brunette sat next to her.

"What's up, Yun?" Gabra asked, taking a bite of the bacon on her plate. Fang swallowed a bite of her cereal before answering her.

"Tell me something." Fang spoke, her voice full of seriousness. "What is Gamenern to you?" Gabra noticeably stiffened at the question. The older girl gave a faux confused look.

"Whaddya mean?" Gabra asked, trying her best to keep her voice even. She knew that Fang hated her, so if she knew what was going on between Gamenern and herself, Fang wouldn't take to well to it.

"Don't play dumb. I know you two are together." Fang said, taking another bite of her cereal. Gabra tried to hide her surprise, but it didn't work out to well. Her face reflected neither surprise, confusion or embarrassment, but a mixture of all three.

"Oh." Gabra said simply, pushing her food away from her. The older girl leaned back, a sigh leaving her lips. "Well, then, what's there to tell?" Gabra asked. Fang remained dead serious.

"You better not hurt him, Gabra." Fang warned. Gabra didn't fear Fang. No, she actually held a respect for the girl. She was more capable in combat than she looked, and Fang's skill was only getting better. Gabra smiled shortly at Fang, bringing a frown to the younger girl.

"I won't, Fang. Honest." Gabra said. Her voice was a mix of sincerity and sarcasm. Fang didn't lose her frown, but she did drop the topic as Gamenern entered the room.

Vanille watched Fang's conversation with Gabra, though she didn't hear anything. Vanille didn't hate Gabra. She didn't hate anyone. Instead, she just disliked Gabra. Fang had made sure that Gabra didn't mess with her after that one day, but Gabra was still quite unpleasant around her. Vanille tried to keep her distance from Gabra whenever possible.

She saw Gamenern and approached the boy. He was talking with some of the other orphans in the room who wanted more of the story. Gamenern had told them basically everything, aside from his inner conflict about what had happened between him and Gabra. Gamenern noticed the redhead and dismissed the other youths.

"Hey, Vanille, what's up?" Gamenern asked, leading her to the line. Since it was later in the morning, not many orphans were in the line, so Gamenern was quickly able to grab his food.

"What's Fang talking to Gabra about?" Vanille asked, grabbing an apple from the basket. It wasn't bruised like some of the other ones were. Gamenern turned to the two girls and frowned slightly.

"Well, Vanille, it's a long story." He said, grabbing some cereal, eggs and a few slices of bacon. Gabra saw Gamenern and gave him a nearly unnoticeable smile. He returned it and led Vanille to the only empty table left.

"Well, Vanille, first I need to ask you; What do you think of Gabra?" Gamenern started, taking a bite of the bacon. It was a littler colder than he liked, but he could only blame himself. He did, after all, sleep in. Vanille frowned and sighed.

"So that's it, huh?" She asked back, bringing a confused look to Gamenern's face. Then he took a guess and sighed.

"Fang tell you something?" Gamenern asked, taking a drink from his milk carton. Vanille nodded, looking up to the two girls, a few tables over from them.

"She said she saw you two together on the porch last night." Vanille said, her voice slightly low. "I thought she meant that you two were talking about the hunt, or whatever it is hunters do, but she showed me herself." Gamenern nodded, letting Vanille continue. He just continued to eat his meal.

"You like her, don't you?" Vanille asked. Gamenern smiled after gulping down his small carton of orange juice.

"Yes, I do." It felt weird to actually say it aloud. It wasn't that he was unsure of his feelings, but he was still trying to figure out the root of them. Vanille smiled back to him.

"Well, that's all that matters!" She said, taking a bite of the apple. Gamenern chuckled lightly as he returned to his food. At least Vanille didn't hate him. He thought.

A few days had gone by, during which time Gamenern was informed of a shortage of hunts from Hassen. He told Gamenern to just relax, and so he did just that. He spent most of his time with Gabra, the two of them enjoying each other's company more and more as the days went by.

Fang was still distancing herself from Gamenern whenever possible. She was almost never around if Gabra was in the vicinity. Fang was acting strange. Why did she care? Did her hatred of Gabra run that deep?

One day, Gamenern met Gabra on one of the benches in the playground. The other orphans ran around without a care in the world as Gamenern approached her. She was looking at the various shapes in the clouds.

She felt Gamenern's presence and smiled, unseen by the boy. "Hi." She said simply. Gamenern sat on the bench next to her. He thought about putting an arm over her shoulders, but decided against it.

"Hey." He said, his arms now feeling slightly out of place. He looked up and saw Gabra's fixation on the various clouds.

"You seem really intrigued by the sky." He commented, smiling when Gabra blushed slightly.

"Yes." She said, trying to keep her voice at an even tone. "Fang's talked to me about us." Gabra said suddenly, and Gamenern nodded.

"Yeah, she talked to me, too." He said, looking over to where Fang was. She was busy training with some of the other orphans. A lot of the orphans had wanted to become hunters after Gamenern and Gabra did. While Gabra wasn't as popular with the children as Gamenern was, they were still impressed at her title of hunter. "She saw us that night." He added softly.

Gabra nodded, her eyes still fixed onto the sky above. "How's Vanille?" She asked. Gamenern saw the slightest hint of apprehensiveness in Gabra's eyes, and smiled.

"She's okay with us." Gamenern said, looking to an airship as it passed overhead. Gabra's eyes caught the ship as well. Another smile.

"Good." She said. She then closed her eyes for a brief second, and rested her head on Gamenern's shoulder.

The action surprised the hunter, but he enjoyed it. He figured he could finally wrap an arm around Gabra's shoulder, pulling her only slightly closer. They sat like this, in companionable silence, for a few moments. Gamenern saw Fang looking at them, her face torn between happiness and displeasure. Vanille, though, looked happy enough for him.

Gamenern then got an idea. It was still early in the day, so he could start planning for it. "Hey, I need to go do a few things for a while." He said, reluctantly removing Gabra from his side. She gave a pout, looking even more beautiful than normal, and sighed.

"Alright. See you later, then." She said. Gamenern kissed her cheek briefly before departing. As he walked off, he just hoped his little plan would work.

Gamenern entered the orphanage to see several of the younger orphans relaxing in the main area, some of them reading, some of them chatting, and some of them watching TV. Granted, the orphanage's TV was old and sometimes refused to work, but it did, at least, get most channels. Gamenern saw Rinoa in the kitchen with the other matrons, working on the lunch.

"Ms. Rinoa, can I speak with you for a moment?" Gamenern asked the woman. She turned around and smiled, as one of the other matrons took over her current task. She led Gamenern to the living area, where she sat down on the couch.

"Yes, Gamenern?" She asked, slightly surprised (and glad) that Gamenern was seeking her out for something.

"I…I need your help with something." He said, his voice slightly low. Did he really want to do this? He shook the thought from his head. Yes, he had to.

"Is it about Gabra?" Rinoa asked. Gamenern looked up with some confusion, but he didn't question how she knew. She raised Gabra and was the closest thing to a mother Gamenern had left. He nodded.

"I…I wanna surprise her with something." He said, his voice failing him even more. He swallowed thickly. He knew Rinoa would be more than happy to help him. "I wanna take her out on a date." Rinoa smiled.

"Of course." She said, her smile filling Gamenern with more confidence. "I'd be happy to help."

Gamenern smiled widely. "Thank you, matron." He said, his voice finally returning to it's normal level. "Just, don't let Gabra know. I want it to be a surprise." Rinoa nodded, then stood up.

Gamenern wanted it to be just him and Gabra. He wanted to surprise her with a dinner, something more than just what was set out for dinner normally. He felt bad about asking for something other than the usual meal, because even that meal took a few hours to make in the sizes served, and many of the matrons weren't paid a lot, if anything. Still, Rinoa was more than happy to help, as were some of the other matrons. They were shocked that he was doing this for Gabra, who was a rebel ever since she was old enough to talk, but they figured it was a step in the right direction.

Before the dinner, though, he wanted to take Gabra somewhere nice. He wanted to take her to the Winter Festival, a three day event celebrating the winter months in Oerba. Most of it was dances that the dancers from the upper schools preformed, but there was also going to be a duel between two of the land's most fearsome fighters. The event would be packed, and it would be nearly impossible to get a good spot, but Gamenern was going to buy tickets ensuring him a good spot. He just hoped that Gabra would like it.

The plans were set in motion quickly. Gamenern used an excuse of getting supplies for Rinoa (which wasn't an excuse, but a means to get away) to go buy the tickets for the event. The final cost was just under 400 gil, so Gamenern was left with nothing. After that, he bought what he hoped to be a nice meal. It was simple, some adamanchelid meat, the cheapest kind of oretoise meat but still as good, some herbs to season it with, a salad with ochu seeds, trifid leaves, and hybrid flora extract. Other, more commonplace sides, like corn and potatoes, were there, too.

As for the location, Rinoa let Gamenern use one of the unused buildings near the orphanage. The orphanage owned the buildings, but they were there in case of an emergency. If there ever became too many children to house in their current building, they would start filling the other buildings. The place was extensively cleaned by Gamenern, who wanted this to be as perfect as he could make it.

The festival started at sundown, and would last about two and a half hours. From what was foreseen, that meant that they would be arriving for their dinner at about 8pm. So, that was used to plan the schedule. The meal would need to be cooked about an hour before it was served, so that everything could go as Gamenern had wished for it to.

He was finished with his plans just before 4pm. Fang had seen Gamenern's unusual behavior and sat next to him on the couch. He looked tense.

"What are you planning?" Fang asked. Gamenern saw the wheels turning in Fang's head, and so he figured he'd come clean with Fang.

"Promise you'll keep your yap shut?" Gamenern said, leaning over. Fang nodded. Gamenern didn't see her actually going through with her promise, but he still continued. "I've been planning a date." Fang's eyes went wide. Vanille walked by and gasped. Gamenern saw the girl and pulled her down.

"You cannot tell Gabra, got it?" He warned. "Or anybody else." Vanille nodded, though her face was still stuck in shock.

"Whaddya mean, you're planning a date?" Fang asked in a hushed voice. Gabra was still outside, but the sun was quickly setting. Gamenern sighed.

"I'm taking Gabra to see that duel at the Festival." Gamenern spoke, pulling out the two tickets. Fang's eyes went wide, but she stayed silent. "After that, I'm having a dinner made just for the two of us." He motioned to Rinoa, who was putting the foodstuffs for the meal away until it was needed. "Matron Rinoa's agreed to help he."

He waited in silence as Fang's face went from shock to curiosity. "You really like her, dontcha?" She asked, her voice slightly teasing. Gamenern nodded. Vanille just smiled.

"Well, it sounds romantic!" She exclaimed. "I'm sure she'll love it!" Vanille's exuberance rubbed off an Fang, who smiled in agreement. Or at least to be nice.

Gamenern just sighed. "I sure hope so, Van."

The sun was going to set in the next few minutes, which meant that the event would start soon. The fight wasn't until about 6pm, with the main fight being about an hour and a half after that. Gamenern had found Gabra sitting on the porch steps looking at the sky.

"Hey, Gabra." He said, sitting next to her. She smiled, again resting her head on his shoulder.

"I wasn't done, you know?" She teased, getting a short laugh from Gamenern. He let the silence go on for a few seconds before he spoke.

"I gotcha something." He said, pulling out the tickets from underneath his vest. "It starts soon." He said as she took them. Her eyes brightened immediately as she saw what they were.

"These are to the Winter Festival?" She asked, her voice full of surprise. Gamenern smiled.

"Yep. Cost me my whole bounty, too." He answered. So far, so good.

"I-I gotta go get ready!" She said, giving Gamenern the tickets back. She gave him a short kiss on the cheek before shooting into the orphanage to change. Gamenern followed her at a slower pace, changing into more appropriate clothes.

They arrived at their spot a few minutes after the festival began. Currently, there was the usual pageant commemorating the great history of Gran Pulse, as well as thanking their ancestors and remembering them. Gamenern watched Gabra more than he did the pageant. She was thrilled to be here. This event was something that all of Oerba looks forward to. The next day would have several carnival rides placed up for the weekend, and then the last day of the event was a big concert in honor of the past. The entire event was a big party.

The real reason for their attendance began shortly after the pageant ended. The first few fights were of the local hunters or soldiers, and were great to watch. However, the main event was the last of the fights. It was between the best of Gran Pulse's hunters. There was Paddra Nhu Jarel and Haeli Khapa Kelin. They were fierce rivals, and each of them had slain oretoises alone. They were never messed with.

The fight was fast and powerful. Neither man let up, and they were much beyond either Gamenern or Gabra in speed, strength, and cunning. Neither man got the upper hand for the longest time.

That was, until Jarel was able to get a blow to land on Kelin's lower ribs. He took a step back to try and counter, but Jarel was able to stay a step ahead, and eventually, he was able to disarm his opponent and pin him. The crowd erupted into cheers as Kelin yielded, admitting defeat. Jarel helped him back to his feet, shaking his hand, and gave a short wave to the crowd.

Gamenern was able to catch a glance of Gabra's face just before the men exited the arena. She looked like she was enjoying the night. Gamenern smiled. 'This just might work.'

The two were filling out of the arena as Gamenern caught a glimpse of the time. 8:19pm, it read. Right on time. They finally got past the large crowd leaving the area, so he had enough time to go straight to the other house.

They were entering the grounds when Gabra finally spoke. "Thank you for taking me to that. I had a lot of fun." She stopped just outside the gates. Gamenern smiled.

"Glad you enjoyed it." He said, bowing his head slightly. "But, there's something else I want to show you." He said. He had seen Rinoa's face through the window to the kitchen, and she gave him a nod, meaning the food was already in the room.

Gabra tilted her hear to the side. "What?" She asked. Gamenern motioned to the empty house behind her, and she looked even more confused.

"Follow me." He said, leading her up the steps. Once he was at the door, he could see in the moon light the meal on the table. He stepped inside, closed the door, and then flipped the lights on.

Gabra saw the meal and gasped. She then looked over to Gamenern. "You planned this?" She asked, her voice completely shocked. Gamenern nodded, leading her over to the table. There were only two chairs, one at each end of the fairly short table. Gamenern took one of them, while Gabra slowly sat in the other one.

"I thought you'd might like a real dinner. Just the two of us." Gamenern said lowly, his voice reflecting his nerves. He wasn't sure if Gabra would've liked it.

Gabra smiled faintly as she poured herself a glass of tea. She then began to gather some of the food items, starting with the oretoise meat. Gamenern followed suit, filling his plate with what he had wanted as well.

The meal was eaten in relative silence. Gamenern wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Considering the two talked a lot during their meals, he was starting to feel like this wasn't going as well as he had hoped.

Gabra took a sip of her tea, finishing the glass. She sighed as she placed it on the table, then looked up.

"Did you make this yourself?" She asked. Gamenern looked up and shook his head.

"No, I asked Matron Rinoa for help." He said, his voice still low from his nerves. He was beginning to regret the dinner now.

Gabra nodded, then stood up. Gamenern did so as well, his manners kicking in full swing. She approached him, stopping just in front of Gamenern.

"Tell her thank you." She said, then leaned up and placed a light kiss on Gamenern's lips. She broke it as soon as it started, and then she headed to the door.

"Thank you. I really enjoyed tonight." She said before she exited the building.

Gamenern looked at the door for almost a minute before he turned to the table. A smile crossed his lips. It worked perfectly.

* * *

><p>Gamenern had helped Fang to plan out her date with Lightning. Unlike when Gamenern planned his, Fang was planning several weeks in advance. It was easier for her to get everything in order if she could plan ahead.<p>

"So, you happy?" Gamenern asked as Fang was paying the clerk working with them. The younger Yun snorted, her brother's lack of enthusiasm entertaining.

"Yep. This should do it." Fang said, handing the clerk the proper amount of gil. Gamenern sighed and sat in a nearby chair.

"Well, there ya go. I helped ya with your wedding." He said with fake exhaustion. "Next time, at least warn me if you're gonna need me. I got a life too, y'know?" Fang just chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." She said, grabbing her receipt and leading the way out. In truth, she would've never been able to plan this date out to this extent without Gamenern's help. It wasn't that Fang wasn't romantic. She just didn't have the insight into things like Gamenern did.

She'd have to thank him if it went well.

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><p><strong>Well, tell me what you think, guys! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon!<strong>

**Till then! R&R!**


	6. Jealousy

_**Transgression**_

**Okay, I've got good news. It would seem that I have finally been able to get internet at my house, after almost six months! As such, this should be the first chapter I post from the comfort of my own house and not at my library. This also means I'll likely be able to post on a regular schedule. Yay!**

**Anyways, on to the chapter. This chapter goes into something only alluded to in **_**I'll Protect You**_**: Fang's first hunt. While I don't like how the chapter finished up, it was the best I could come up with, so forgive me if it, for lack of a better word, sucks. Lol!**

**Well, enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3529**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything I write about in this story. It is all a figment of my imagination…**

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><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 6: Jealousy

The TV playing in the background was all that Lightning heard as she lay in bed. It was early morning: the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet. She shifted in bed, the lack of another presence under the covers confirming her hunch. Fang must've gotten up before her. It wasn't unheard of, actually. Lightning may have been a soldier, and she would normally be a light sleeper, but sometimes she could sleep through Cocoon falling from the sky.

After finding suitable clothing to exit the room in, Lightning saw Fang relaxing on the couch, the huntress watching what looked to be a music channel. The song playing was not one that Lightning was familiar with, but she couldn't really hear it anyway.

She knew that Fang would register her presence in the room before she got close, so she didn't even try to be sneaky. She approached the Oerban and sat down next to her. Fang readjusted herself so she was able to rest against Lightning's body.

"Couldn't sleep?" The huntress asked as the video on the TV was ending. Lightning half shrugged.

"You?" Lightning asked back. Fang nodded once. "Something wrong?"

The huntress sat up, leaning her head against the back of the couch and stretching. "Not really. Just looking back." Fang started. She yawned, clearing the sleep from her body. "Like my first hunt."

Lightning looked in Fang's eyes. "What was it like?" She asked. Fang smiled goofily, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

"Terrible."

* * *

><p>Fang was jealous. She was jealous of the older orphans and how the adults treated them. She was jealous of the hunters, who got to go out and protect Oerba. But, most of all, she was jealous of Gamenern.<p>

The boy was not arrogant or obnoxious about his status. He was very humble, in fact. He would almost never brag about his hunts or what he did, because he understood the gravity of a hunter's life. Any time a hunter went on a hunt, they might not come back. To prevent this, hunters focused entirely on their mark and whatever was against them.

Still, Gamenern had everything Fang wanted. He was successful. He was one of the youngest full fledged Hunters in Oerba, at only 14 years old. In just the short span of six months, he gained enough Hunting Crosses to become a hunter, and was even given the honor of heading a hunting party on occasion. Another thing Gamenern had was Gabra. Now, while Fang didn't care much for Gabra, she was jealous of her, and of Gamenern. Why? Because, unlike Fang, they had someone there for them. She had yet to find somebody, anybody, to call hers. It was almost depressing.

Today was like many other days for Fang. She woke up early in the morning and had breakfast. Like usual, Gamenern was with Gabra and Vanille, talking and laughing. Fang sometimes would join in their conversations, but most of the time, she'd eat alone. After eating, she'd go to classes before she'd really begin her day.

After classes, she'd grab her training staff and head to an empty part of the playground to practice her technique. She'd go through simple battle steps, adding her own style to it and perfecting the maneuvers. She had become quite good over the past few weeks of training, but the Elder Hunters still overlooked her and her skills. She was, according to them, too arrogant and rash to become a hunter at this time.

Gamenern had decided to watch Fang as she trained today. Fang saw him and scoffed. Of course, he had Gabra hanging onto his arm. For a hunter, the older girl was incredibly clingy. How could she learn to fend for herself if she had Gamenern with her all the time?

Not bothering to break from her task, Fang called to Gamenern. "If you're gonna watch, you might as well give me a hand!" She said, her weapon still in front of her as if she was fighting an invisible enemy. Gamenern raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.

"Sure." He said, getting his training axe from his pouch and approaching the younger Yun. Other orphans were watching Fang train and soon called their friends over. Like most teenagers, the orphans loved to watch a fight. Before Gamenern had even set himself up in the 'ring', half of the orphanage was watching.

"Don't hold back either!" Fang called over, her staff now held in a battle stance behind her. Gamenern nodded, his axe held in front of him with his right hand, while his right was free to move as it pleased. Fang waited until Gamenern made the first move.

The older boy charged, his axe pulled back to swing. Fang waited till the last possible second before she dodged, trying to swing her staff at his back. The hunter saw this and blocked with his axe, pushing off with a restrained amount of strength and then lunging forward. The axe almost hit Fang in the chest, but she was nimble enough to leap back and flip once, landing on her feet much akin to a cat. Her free hand stabilized her body as she recovered from the flip.

Gamenern smirked once before returning to a ready stance. Fang charged first this time, her staff ready to swing down on Gamenern. Gamenern saw this and prepared to block the blow, but then Fang swung with the bottom of her weapon, hitting Gamenern in the side once with quite a bit of force behind it. He took a step back, spinning around and shoving Fang away from him. He clutched the impact area with his left hand.

On the sidelines, Gabra winced when she saw the beginnings of a nasty bruise forming underneath the skin. Gamenern gave Fang an aghast look. You don't ever inflict an injury to your opponent in a duel. If that was how Fang wanted to play, so be it.

Fang smirked when Gamenern charged her, this time a fire in his eyes as he lunged. She used his fuel against him, or hoped to at least. Gamenern was quite calm even in his most blind rage. She dodged his first attack, parried his next, then spun around for his third. She then knocked him in the back of the knees, putting him off balance. She spun the opposite way and hit him square in the chest, this time with enough force to knock the breath out of him while pushing him a few feet back. He landing, coughing fiercely after the blow.

This time, Gabra and Vanille ran out onto the field, Vanille to keep Fang from doing something she'd regret while Gabra was there to help Gamenern recover from a nasty blow.

"What…the…hell…was that…Fang?" Gamenern asked, his voice hoarse from his lung's unwilling exhale. Fang kept a cold look as she turned from her brother.

"Am I still unworthy of being a hunter?" She asked in an almost sarcastic manner. Vanille was standing between her and Gamenern, otherwise Fang might still be trying to fight the boy. Gamenern coughed again and this time spat out some blood.

"Is that what this is about?" Gabra asked when Gamenern couldn't continue speaking. "You're angry at not being a hunter so you take it out on Gamenern?" She sounded both pissed and disgusted at Fang, while concerned for Gamenern. Coughing up blood, no matter how trivial the amount, was serious. Slowly, Gabra helped her boyfriend to his feet and put his arm over her shoulders.

"You know that he doesn't make that decision, Fang. If you want to become a hunter, you need more than just brute strength." Gabra said as she helped Gamenern away. He'd have to be checked out by one of the medics at the Hall. She didn't look back to Fang as she left the playground.

Fang just scowled at the pair as they walked away. Vanille was looking at Fang with concern in her eyes. Fang was never violent to anyone who didn't do her wrong. Why was she so angry at Gamenern now? He didn't do anything wrong, did he? He was just doing what he was tasked with.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Vanille asked, stepping closer to Fang. The brunette's scowl deepened at the words. Vanille wasn't worried about Fang hurting her. Fang would never harm her, no matter how angry she was.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked, her voice now full of a dark, fake humor. "What's wrong is that, no matter what I do, I'm always being overlooked!" She shouted at Vanille, who backed off instinctively but she didn't go away. Fang turned away from the redhead.

"Is that why you fought Gamenern?" Vanille asked, trying to keep her voice even and soft. Fang was acting like a kid who wanted what their older sibling got. Fang huffed in annoyance.

"Maybe." She said flatly. "Maybe I'll do something else." And with that, she walked away, heading towards the center of town. Vanille watched her disappear with a frown.

Gamenern was cleared of any permanent damage from the fight. He always wore leather vests, and the material was able to absorb a bit of the impact. If he hadn't been wearing the vest, he might've had a few cracked or broken ribs, and then his condition would be more serious. A punctured lung was something he didn't want to have.

Gamenern was walking to the orphanage when he saw Vanille barreling through the streets, her face in a panic. Gamenern tore off after her, Gabra following with a puzzled face. Gamenern caught up with the girl as she paused to look around.

"Vanille!" He said, turning the girl to face him. She looked hysterical. "What's going on?" He asked with urgency.

"Fang! She walked off, and I haven't seen her since! And I heard from Sarri that she saw Fang buying a weapon from the market!" Gamenern turned to the market and frowned. What was Fang planning to do? With Vanille and Gabra following him, he tore off to the market.

He saw many merchants selling weapons and sighed. This would take time that they didn't have. He had to make sure they found Fang now. Knowing that Fang preferred spears and staves, Gamenern headed to the nearest lance merchant.

"Sir, have you sold any weapons to a teenaged girl?" He asked urgently. "She's about my height with brown hair." The merchant thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah. She said she needed a weapon. Sold her one of my Bladed Lances. Very cheap, she was. Only had a few hundred gil." He said, pulling out one of the red lances, great for training but not too good for hunting.

"Did she say anything about what she needed it for?" He asked, his voice still urgent. The merchant shrugged, shaking his head.

"Sorry, kid. She didn't say. I don't ask if the customer pays me." Gamenern gritted his teeth as he turned around. So, all he knew was that Fang had bought a new weapon. Other than that, he had no leads.

He was looking for anything to go on when he heard a few merchants talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, you gotten any wares from the outer villages lately?" One of them asked. Another shook his head.

"No. I heard that there was an Aman attacking the caravans at the junction and that the villages aren't sending anything into town until it's cleared out." The other merchant answered. Gamenern's heart sank.

"She didn't…" He said to himself. Aman's were the deadly cousins of the Managarmrs, and those were tough for even a trained hunter. Gamenern was broken from his trance when Gabra nudged him.

"Gamenern, what's wrong?" She asked. Gamenern turned around urgently.

"She's gone on a suicide mission." He said shortly, bolting straight to the hall. Elder Hassen needed to know.

Fang was sweating heavily when she finally found her target. The heat was very unseasonable, more like summer than spring. Even so, Fang was determined. If Gamenern and the other hunters wouldn't take her seriously, she'd just have to show them. She got lucky after buying her new Bladed Lance. She heard one merchant talking to a buyer about the Aman terrorizing the caravans, and Fang was ready. Using what little gil she had left, she bought some food for the trip and took off.

After a few hours of searching, she finally found her mark. The lupine creature was currently laying in it's nest, possibly sleeping. Tucked under the shade of the cliff face, the Aman looked content. For now.

Fang knew that these creatures were tough. But she was certain that she could kill it. A good blow to it's head, or it's neck, and the beast would die. If she got it's neck, she'd have to wear it out, but she could do that. She was positive.

Putting her lance into it's bladed mode, Fang crept forward, hoping to get a surprise on the creature. If she could do that, maybe she could kill it before it even had a chance. She stayed as quiet as she could as she approached the slumbering creature, ready to strike.

She was a few feet away when her foot snapped a dead twig. She froze as the sound, loud as thunder in the silence, pierced the air. The Aman stirred slightly, sniffing the air. As soon as it did, it smelled Fang and awoke. It looked the would-be-hunter up before unleashing a menacing roar. Fang jumped back, falling into a battle stance. She pointed one end of her weapon to the beast.

"Bring it." She taunted. The creature growled, and then charged her.

Gamenern ran into the Hall, a worried Vanille behind him, followed by Gabra. The receptionist allowed Gamenern to enter, but stopped Vanille. Luckily, Gabra was there as well, and after seeing her, the receptionist allowed the two to enter.

Gamenern stopped in front of Hassen's office and knocked once. "Enter." The gurff voice came.

Gamenern entered to see Hassen working on some paperwork on his desk. "Gamenern. What's wrong, m'boy?" He asked when he saw the urgency in Gamenern's face.

"Sir, Fang's gone out to kill the Aman near the junction!" Gamenern said. Hassen instantly stood up, grabbing his weapon from under his desk.

"Are you sure?" He asked Gamenern. The boy nodded, looking out in the direction of the junction. The 'junction', as it was called, was a pass through the mountains that caravans from many of Oerba's outlying villages traveled through. The pass was plagued by monsters and was dangerous as of late.

"Then, we must be quick." Hassen said. Gamenern nodded quickly, then went to fetch his rucksack. A quick glance to Gabra was enough to tell her that she needed hers as well, and the girl headed out.

After meeting up outside the orphanage, Gabra was trying to get Vanille to stay behind.

"It's too dangerous, Vanille." Gabra tried to tell her, but she wouldn't hear it. Gamenern stepped in here.

"Vanille, I'll bring Fang back if I have to drag her by her collar, okay?" He said, his axe already out and ready. Again, Vanille shook her head.

"I'm going and that's final!" She said, her face determined and focused. Gamenern looked to Hassen for advice, but the man just smiled.

"If you promise to listen to me, you can come along, okay?" He suggested. Gamenern looked taken aback, but he trusted Hassen, and didn't voice his concerns. Vanille nodded, and the four headed towards the junction.

Fang cursed her rashness for the first time in her life. She was certain that she could handle the Aman alone. It was just like any other beast, right? How hard could it have been?

She had gotten a few blows in, to be sure, but she was losing ground, fast. The beast had spewed it's Accursed Breath at her, and she was pretty sure that she had been poisoned by the fumes. Still, she continued fighting. But her stamina was slowly fading, and it seemed as though the Aman was still running on all cylinders.

It lunged again and Fang had to deflect to blow instead of dodging it. What she wouldn't give for a potion right about now. She knew she should've gotten a few of the small vials from Rima. Well, it didn't help to be worried about it now. Currently, she had to survive.

She was able to use the lance's three sectioned feature to impale the beast in the back. The Aman howled in pain as the blades dug into it's back, hitting a few nerves and most likely hampering motion in it's hind legs. It lunged forward, pulling the blade out and knocking Fang off balance. The creature looked at Fang on the ground and lunged again, this time clawing her left arm. Fang screamed in pain as the nails dug into her skin, tearing a deep gash along it.

She cursed how the pain made it impossible to move her arm. Reduced to just a single good arm, Fang adjusted her battle style. The Aman charged again. Fang jumped back. Well, tried to, at least. The beast bit into her right leg and brought her down with a thud. She grunted in pain as the beast tried to rip her led off. Using what little power she could muster, Fang drove the lance into the beast's forehead. It wasn't enough to penetrate it's skull, but it was enough to cause it to release her leg.

Fang tried to stand up and fell, yelping as the pain thrust throughout her body. She swore again. Did she really make a mistake by doing this?

She looked up to see the Aman charging it's Storm Bolt, before her entire world went black.

Gamenern heard a loud cry of pain in the distance and froze. That had to be Fang. He charged at full speed, Gabra, Hassen and Vanille behind him. He couldn't see the fight, but he could hear the beast's growl as it was hit by something. When he did get into visual range, he was shocked.

Fang had just been swiped in the arm, making her left arm useless. She was barely able to react when the beast charged again. As soon as the beast brought her down, Gamenern took off, Vanille just at his side.

Gamenern saw the Aman charging it's Storm Bolt attack and willed his legs to move faster. If he could knock it off balance, it wouldn't be able to finish it's attack.

That's when he saw Vanille running to Fang's unconscious body at full speed. He ran faster than ever, calling out. "Vanille, look out!"

But it wasn't fast enough. The beast sent a bolt of lightning in Fang's direction. Vanille was there and took the blast square in the back. She yelped first, then screamed in agony as the electricity ran through her body. Gamenern got to the beast less than a second later, his eyes filled with rage. He swung at the creature's head, the blow most likely cracking it's skull and disorientating it. Following that, Hassen aimed Arbiter at the monster and shot, hitting it's softened skull right between the eyes. The beast fell over, dead, almost instantly after that, it's brain now nothing more than soup.

As soon as it was safe to turn around, Gamenern bolted to Vanille and Fang. Somehow, Vanille got up shortly after he got to her side, shaken, and still twitching with the aftereffects of the attack, but otherwise fine. Fang, on the other hand, was in a really bad way. Her face was covered in small scratches, her left arm was completely useless, and her right leg was broken in at least two different places.

"Gabra, gimme the potion!" Gamenern said, urgency in his voice. Since Fang couldn't swallow anything in her unconsciousness, Gamenern used a syringe to inject the potion directly into her blood stream. After that, Gabra handed him an antidote to give Fang. He did so, and the effects were already visible. Several of the smaller cuts had mended, and the larger ones stopped bleeding. The bones would still be broken, but the recovery time wouldn't be as long.

"I've got a transport coming for us." Hassen said, pocketing a communicator. "They'll be here in a few minutes." Gamenern sighed in relief. He stayed at Fang's side the entire time as the transport arrived, a small EMT squad exiting shortly afterwards. They placed Fang on a stretcher and carried her into the back of the airship. Another EMT checked out Vanille after he saw her twitching at random times. A muscle relaxant was all that was needed to stop that.

Gamenern thanked whatever gods there were looking down on him. He would keep Fang and Vanille safe from now on. He swore to it.

* * *

><p>After listening to Fang recall her hunt, Lightning smiled. "I see you've yet to outgrow your pride." Lightning teased, getting another smirk from Fang.<p>

"Babe, Yun's don't outgrow pride." Fang said. "It's a part of our blood." Lightning just shook her head.

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><p><strong>Well, there ya go! Hopefully this lack of interest I've been fighting isn't my mortal enemy, the writer's block. *raises fist to sky* I'm hoping that it's just that my muse has, in a manner of speaking, shifted it's focus to something else. I've been enamored with Final Fantasy XII for some time now. I might even think about posting a story there to alleviate my focus there and draw it back to Final Fantasy XIII.<strong>

**Or maybe I'm just anxious over the fact that XIII-2 is out in Japan and I'm getting antsy. I haven't figured it out yet! XD**

**R&R!**


	7. Understanding

_**Transgression**_

**Happy New Year! My update schedule was thrown all out of whack with Christmas. I got several things for Christmas. In all, I got Final Fantasy X, Tales of Vesperia, Green Day Rock Band, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, an Xbox Live Membership, World of Warcraft Subscription, Dead or Alive 4, and a preorder of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Yeah, I've got a lot to keep me busy. Unfortunately, all of this has kept me away from my fanfictions.**

**Hopefully, I'll be able to make it up to you guys. I'm planning to work on a story I've been planning for going on four months now. The story, **_**The Shadow of Cocoon**_**, is a much darker fiction than this one. It will have the same pairings as this trilogy, but there is no main pairing. There's a summary on my profile page if anyone's interested, as well as the summary's for a few other stories I'm thinking about posting. Let me know what you guys think of some of them, and if you want any other stories posted in the future.**

**Anyway, back to this story. It's set a few days after the last chapter, and finally introduces Fanille! For the most part, it's Fang and Vanille centric to make up for the lack of focus on them in the first few chapters.**

**Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3012**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy franchise. Whoever does own it must be richer than god, though.**

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><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 7: Understanding

Vanille sat in the park outside her house, enjoying the fresh Pulsian air as winter came to full swing. It had been colder this winter than she'd ever remembered, but she didn't mind it. The cold air was quite refreshing, actually. It woke her up in the morning, and helped her sleep at night.

Hope was sitting next to her, just recently arriving. He was staying with Vanille as he attended The Academy, a school dedicated to the history of Gran Pulse. It's professors were scholars trying to unearth what had happened after the War, when it seemed all written history of Gran Pulse was lost. Gamenern had most of what was left of what was written after Ragnarok's summoning, which didn't shed much light onto the 500 years (513 years, actually, according to some historic newspapers) after the War.

Vanille sighed after a few moments of silence. "Fang and I used to come here all the time when we were in the orphanage." She said nostalgically. Hope turned to the redhead.

"Yeah?" He asked. He had always thought that, with the way Vanille talked about her past in the orphanage, that there was something between her and Fang.

"Yeah." Vanille replied. "In fact, the orphanage was right across the street." Hope saw the building, which was still being updated to more modern standards, covered in a layer of white snow.

"Vanille?" Hope asked. Vanille turned to him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but was there ever anything between you and Fang back then?" Vanille nodded at his question, then sighed.

"If you mean did we ever date, then yes." She said simply. "We went out for a while after her first hunt." She said. She slowly recalled her memory of that day, so many centuries ago.

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><p>It was a quiet morning. Not much was happening in Oerba. The hunters had already left for their hunts, and school was in session. The streets were empty of most traffic, save for the occasional errand boy or late businessman. Or, in this case, a reckless huntress-to-be, her older brother, and a redheaded healer girl.<p>

Oerba Yun Fang rarely, if ever, took the blame for something stupid she did. This was one exception to that rule. Shortly after she woke up, she was bombarded by Vanille. Gamenern was sitting in the corner of the room, looking at his younger sister with concern. Seeing how worried everyone was for her safety, she apologized for her recklessness.

She was given the okay to leave the hospital a few days later. Her injuries were pretty bad: She had two bruised ribs, her left arm was rendered useless until the ligaments and tendons could heal, and her right femur was broken in two different locations. Add a slight concussion and minor poisoning to the mix, and it was safe to say that Fang was in for one long recovery time.

The doctors had said that she would need at least eight to ten weeks to recover completely, and that she should wear the cast that was put on her leg for the entire time. She couldn't even take it off to shower. Fang found the hunk of plaster and gauze to be annoying and uncomfortable, but the doctor insisted that she wear it the entire time. Gamenern even enlisted Gabra and Vanille to make sure it stays that way.

If there was one thing Fang had left, it was her pride. She refused to have Gamenern or Vanille help her to the orphanage, instead hobbling on crutches the entire distance. Fang thought it was admirable. Gamenern and Vanille thought it was stubborn. Still, they let her cover the entire distance on her own.

She took almost as much time to get up the stairs of the orphanage as she did to get here. When she finally did get to the building, the other orphans cheered her return. Just like Gamenern and Vanille, just about everybody in the orphanage was concerned for Fang's safety after she did something that reckless. This only added to Fang's humbleness.

To help with the recovery process, Fang was to stay in bed most of the time, with either Gabra or Vanille there to keep her company. Most of the time, it was Vanille, due to Gabra being out on hunts. Fang's routine was quite simple. When she woke up, she would be helped to a table to eat breakfast. She would remain in the orphanage at all times, doing what little class work she had in the building, before she would have lunch. She was allowed to go outside, but she couldn't do anything strenuous, instead being kept to just sitting on a bench and watching the sky. She'd be like this until dinnertime, when she returned to the dinner table to eat. After this, she would retreat to the bedroom and sleep.

Boring, huh? Fang seemed to think so.

By the third day, Fang became restless. Gamenern found the situation amusing. "Well, consider it your punishment for what you did." He would tease. Fang couldn't argue with his logic. Maybe next time she'd take her own safety into consideration?

On the fifth day, Fang was accompanied by Gabra the entire day. Fang didn't seem thrilled by this revelation. She didn't hate Gabra, but she still held a grudge with the girl.

Following the breakfast, the two girls went to the porch so Fang could get fresh air. Today was a weekend, and so class wasn't in session. Gamenern and Vanille were running errands for the matrons, so that left Fang in Gabra's care.

Only a few minutes into the silence, Gabra spoke. "Is something wrong, Fang?" She asked, her voice even. Fang turned to Gabra, before sighing.

"Sorry, but I just haven't let go of everything you did to me and Vanille all those years ago." Fang said bluntly. Gabra nodded. She didn't expect Fang to just let go of everything now, even if Gamenern was dating her. She looked up to the sky.

"If it's any consolation, Fang, I don't know why I did what I did." She said simply. She shook her head. "Maybe it may have been because I was jealous?" She said, more to herself than to Fang.

"You were jealous of me?" Fang asked. She wasn't too worried about Gabra, but her inner protector came out in full swing. Yun's were very protective of anyone, be they friend or foe. "What did I have that anyone would be jealous of?"

Gabra sighed once, short and heavy. "You at least got to know your parents." Gabra said simply. Fang looked worried, then understood. "I never would've gotten to know my mom. She died giving birth to me." Gabra recalled. Her voiced sounded weak, but it would never break. "My dad skipped out on me when I was still a baby. Left me here and took off." For the longest time, Fang thought Gabra was angry at her father for leaving her. But now, it seemed that Gabra was actually sad about it.

"I see." Fang said shortly. She turned to the sky once more. "I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to never know your parents." Fang said. She didn't like talking about her parents, but this was something she knew had to be said. "Granted, I don't remember them too well. I was only five when they died." Fang then turned to Gabra. "Have you tried to find him?"

Gabra nodded. "Yeah, I have." She said, looking down to her hands. "But, they said that the last time he showed up on the census was when I was born." She shook her head, either to clear her head or out of frustration. "They have him listed as dead."

Fang then placed an arm on Gabra's shoulder. The older girl looked to Fang with a confused look. "If anyone could find him, it'd be you." Fang gave a short smirk to Gabra. "Just don't give up hope."

In the distance, Gamenern saw the exchange between Gabra and Fang. He smiled lightly, knowing that the two most likely had gotten over whatever was still between the them.

A few days later, Fang was with Vanille for the day while Gabra and Gamenern were on a hunt. Vanille stayed close at all times, even though Fang could, for the most part, get around on her own. At times, it could be annoying, but Fang endured through.

Most of the day was uneventful, passing quite quickly. By time nightfall came around, the two were in the living area, waiting Gamenern's return. The hunter didn't promise that he'd be back that night, but Vanille insisted that they wait up for him. The matrons didn't say anything about the two being on the couch, instead letting the two stay up waiting.

It may have been midnight, it may have been later. Fang didn't know because she couldn't see the clock. She just knew that it was late.

"Vanille, I don't think he's coming back tonight." She said quietly, sitting up slightly. Vanille nodded once, sitting up herself.

"I guess so." She said. Fang tried to get up all the way, but as she sat up to her full height, she felt pain course through her shoulder, and she winced, grabbing the throbbing joint. "Hey, careful." Vanille placed her hands on Fang's shoulders to steady the girl. Fang gritted her teeth to endure the sharp pain, then sighed once. "You okay?"

Fang nodded once. "Fine." She said, her voice still strained. Vanille turned to the door, then to Fang.

"Here, let me help you up." Vanille said, slinging one of Fang's arms over her shoulders. Fang stood up slowly, careful not to put to much weight on Vanille's small frame. The little girl had more strength than Fang gave her credit for, though. "Something wrong?" Vanille asked when she felt Fang resisting movement.

"It's nothing." Fang said. She let Vanille help her to her bed, where she carefully sat herself on the mattress. "Thanks."

Vanille nodded once, helping Fang get adjusted onto the bed. "No problem." After she was settled into the bed, Fang sighed.

Vanille, however, was still looking into Fang's eyes. The older girl sat up, taking caution with her weakened arm. "You alright?" Fang asked, noting Vanille's worried look.

"Oh, it's nothing." Vanille lied. Inside, she was many things. Scared. Worried. Sad. Fang was in this shape in part because of her. If she had stopped Fang from running off that day, she'd have never tried to take on that Aman, and she'd be fine.

But, something else was stirring inside Vanille. Something she was not accustomed to. It was a tightness, similar to what she would feel around Christmastime. It was something akin to…excitement. Or eagerness. It was odd, though. She'd only feel this when she was around Fang.

"Yeah, of course." Fang teased, pushing Vanille's forehead with her middle and index fingers, causing the younger girl to flinch. "C'mon, you can tell me." Fang said, smiling kindly at Vanille.

Vanille felt that tightness get even stronger when she saw Fang's smile. She put the pieces together quickly after that. Was this feeling…a crush? Was that what she was feeling? Was she crushing on Fang?

It was odd, though. Fang, like Vanille, was a girl. While there were same gender couples in Oerba, there weren't many of them. It wasn't outlawed or frowned upon, no. If both parties were happy, why interfere with that? Still, most marriages were to continue bloodlines, something that was becoming more and more necessary as the War dragged on.

The thought of feeling something towards Fang made her face flare a bright crimson. Luckily, in the darkness, Fang didn't see. "It-it's nothing!" Vanille stuttered. She mentally slapped herself. Way to sound convincing.

"Really?" Fang said, her voice sarcastic. "You sure?" Fang smirked again, noticing Vanille's blush even in the dark. The little moonlight trickling through the window gave enough to discern color to a minor extent. "You're turning into a tomato." Fang teased.

Vanille's blush deepened even more, her hands flying to her cheeks to cover the offending coloration. Fang stifled her laughs as she saw Vanille's reaction. "Is there something you want to talk about?" Fang asked, her voice barely coherent with the laughs in her throat.

Vanille sighed once, trying to clear her head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you." She said when she was certain she could speak. Fang raised an eyebrow.

"Try me." Fang said simply, her voice interested. Vanille cleared her throat.

Was she really planning on doing this? Was this even the right thing to do? What would Fang think of it? Would she like it? So many questions. Vanille's head was spinning, but she pushed her thoughts aside. She need to do this.

"Well, I think…I think…" Now that she was trying to vocalize her feelings, she was having trouble. Her voice just wouldn't heed her.

"You think..?" Fang pushed, trying to get Vanille to use her words. Vanille sighed once more.

"I think I like you…" She pushed out, sounding incredibly small after she said it. Fang looked even for a few seconds before she registered what Vanille said. Her eyebrows slowly retreated into her hairline.

"Really, now?" She asked once. She wasn't sure what she should've felt, to be honest. She always saw Vanille as a younger sister. Never once did she think that Vanille thought of her differently.

Vanille took Fang's silence as a sign that maybe, she was just being hopeful. Slowly, she stood up. Maybe this was a bad idea. "Sorry to bother you." She said simply, ready to go to her bed.

Fang saw Vanille's dejected form and her brain began to think once more. "Wait!" Fang said, reaching out and grabbing Vanille's arm. She wasn't the rejecting the girl. She had come to the conclusion that, maybe, there could've been some kind of feelings between the two.

Vanille looked back to the older girl though her green eyes. Fang's face was twisted between shock and confusion. This, combined with her lack of movement, pointed to one conclusion: Vanille's feeling weren't shared by Fang. She wasn't upset, just put down.

Fang then stunned Vanille, and herself to boot. She pulled Vanille down and placed her lips on the younger girl's. Vanille's eyes went wide, but slowly, she returned to kiss. Both girls' inexperience shown in the slow rhythm they settled for.

After the two needed to breath, they broke apart. Vanille licked her lips once, her eyes still closed. It was different than she expected. Fang's lips were soft. It was quite enjoyable.

Fang herself was still lingering on the kiss. It wasn't something she was expecting to do. She just did it. It felt…right. She was able to find her voice.

"Listen, Vanille." Fang started. She tried to find a way to vocalize her feelings. "I guess I felt the same way." She said honestly. "I just never thought of my feelings in that way." She smiled. "I always thought of you as a little sister, actually." Vanille smiled.

"I thought of you like a sister, too." Vanille said, sitting on the bed next to Fang. "But, recently, I've felt different." Fang nodded.

"Yeah." The Yun then laid back down. "Well, lets get some sleep. We'll need to be up early if we want to greet Gamenern when he gets here tomorrow." Vanille nodded, then went to her bed. Her thoughts, though, were still on her and Fang. As were Fang's.

The next morning, Fang and Vanille sat down at the same table like usual. Unlike normally, though, Vanille rested her head on Fang's good shoulder. Not many people thought different of it. They assumed that the two were, like they had before last night, as close as sisters.

Gamenern, however, knew instantly. He walked into the orphanage with less ceremony than his first hunt, Gabra shortly behind him, to see the two in an embrace unlike normal. He could tell that Vanille was feeling something different for Fang for the longest time. Apparently, something happened while he was gone to change that.

He approached the two and sat down. To his left, Gabra sat down as well, resting her head on Gamenern's shoulder. With another couple to compare to, half the orphanage caught onto what was between Fang and Vanille immediately. After a few moments, Gamenern smiled.

"What?" Fang asked. She seemed confused by Gamenern's sudden expression. Gamenern nodded his head to the two of them and smiled wider.

"Finally get it out into the open, did ya?" He asked, his voice amused and light. Fang looked at him with a confused expression for a few moments before she finally caught the meaning of his words. Her face joined Vanille's already red face.

"How'd you…?" Fang asked, trying to hide her blush. Gamenern and Gabra both had to keep from busting out laughing. After calming himself enough to speak, he smiled.

"I've seen the way Vanille's been acting around you." He said. "Besides, there's always been something hanging over your heads." He nodded. "Just don't let me catch you two doing 'things'" He teased.

Gabra burst out laughing as Fang and Vanille turned into a bright shade of red.

* * *

><p>Vanille recalled the events of those few days to Hope, who listened carefully. After she finished, he turned to the sky.<p>

"Did something happen between you two?" He asked. Vanille nodded. She didn't seem upset over it, in any case.

"We just drifted apart. We grew up with each other, so we were more like sisters." She said. Hope nodded, then leaned back.

"I wonder what Light would think." Hope said suddenly. Vanille looked confused. "Knowing that she could've possibly had to fight you for Fang." Hope's face was contorted with a laugh he was trying to hide. Vanille's face turned a shade of pink.

"What…You can't…Hope!" Vanille stuttered. Hope couldn't hold it back any longer and began laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Let me know what you think!<strong>

**R&R and later!**


	8. A Dream Come True?

_**Transgression**_

**Holy Batman, Robin! Yikes, it's been well over a year. My fans must hate me! I really don't have a good excuse why I missed so much on the updates. Part of it was me just losing interest on my fictions. I've been working on a game that I'm making with a friend, but since it's just the two of us (for now, at least) don't expect any words on it. The story's still being finalized.**

**Anyways, this is the next chapter in **_**Transgression**_**. It's very Gamenern centric, but it's important to the story. The next chapter will focus more on Fang and Vanille, as there's a very big plot point coming up between the two.**

**Well, here you are. Enjoy.**

**Word Count: 3057**

**Disclaimer: There is not a single thing I own. It's all Square Enix's.**

* * *

><p>Transgression<p>

Chapter 8: A Dream Come True?

The nightlife of Oerba was quite different than daytime. Though not very big, Oerba still had a lot of people living in it's boundaries. And, like most people, they enjoyed going out and enjoying the night.

The Beach House II was one of the only bars in Oerba, and easily the busiest. The bar, run by Lebreau as a former front for NORA (Which now had money coming in from other jobs, such as monster extermination or bodyguard duty), hadn't changed too much from it's Cocoon days, though it now had a larger staff.

Of the staff members was Gamenern, who mostly worked as a bouncer. Alcohol brought fights along with it, and so Gamenern was there to keep the peace. Tonight, there wasn't any disturbance. Yet.

As Gamenern watched over the bar, Lebreau approached. "Anybody you get to throw out?" She joked, placing a glass of soda next to him. The man chuckled slightly, sipping the soda before answering.

"Not yet. Though that group over there is getting loud." He said, pointing to group of men, possibly soldiers, chatting very loudly among themselves. "Not sure if they're just loud drunks or not." Gamenern added shortly.

"Most of the military types are like that." Lebreau commented, resting her elbows on the bar next to her. "They must think they're entitled to it."

Gamenern scoffed. "I wouldn't ever get away with that before." He added with a slight hint of mirth. He turned to Lebreau. "Shouldn't you be working?" He added.

"I'm taking my break." She added with a small smile. Gamenern chuckled.

"You did that 10 minutes ago." He retorted, a similar smile on his face. Lebreau simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Owner's privilege." She said simply. Gamenern scoffed again. "What was the military like back then?" The woman asked, intrigued. Gamenern raised an eyebrow at the change of subject.

"Well, it wasn't like it is now, that's for sure." He started with a hint of nostalgia. "A helluva lot more action. Less patrol duty like this." His tone went almost dark, as if he was trying to forget his past. "I won't lie, I killed my share of PSICOM and Guardian Corps personnel back then." He added. "I joined as soon as I was able. Gabra didn't like my career path too well…"

* * *

><p>Pulsian society was very different than Cocoonian, easy enough to figure out. One big difference, however, is the age of consent. On Cocoon, this age is around 17 years old, while on Gran Pulse, there isn't any proper age of consent. The age a man or woman can make their own way in the world is usually the age they are considered "of age." A lot of times, people marry as young as 13 years old. With such a low life expectancy, with dangers from the land as well as the sky, having children was a vital part of society.<p>

Now, while Gamenern and Gabra weren't married, or considering it in any way, they sometimes acted like they were. And, like many married couples, they were currently having an argument.

Gamenern was moving from his small chest in the boy's bedroom to a suitcase on his bed, Gabra standing behind him. The girl's face was full of emotions, ranging from anger and shock to sorrow and betrayal.

"There's not way you're going." Gabra said, her voice uncharacteristically torn with the emotions evident on her face. "There's no way. It's way to dangerous."

Gamenern sighed as he placed some of his vests in his suitcase. "I know it's dangerous, Gabra." He said, his voice calm and collected. "But I can't sit here while those Vipers up there destroy our home."

In just the last few weeks, Cocoon had been increasing it's attacks, ranging from simple sackings to full-blown invasions. The War was getting bloodier as time went on.

"I know, but what's to say that you won't be killed because of it?" She asked, her voice showing a rare break. Gamenern placed the last vest in his suitcase and turned to Gabra.

"Look, there's no way I'm going to die out there, okay?" He spoke, approaching Gabra. "I wouldn't leave you, or Fang, or Vanille, alone like that." Gabra just shook her head.

"There's no way you can know that." She said, as if trying to convince herself as much as Gamenern. Deep down, she knew that Gamenern didn't like the War. Most people preferred a violent, forced fight with Cocoon, while others wanted to settle things peacefully. Gamenern would rather see an uneasy peace between the two worlds than the total annihilation of one. But he would need to be in a position of power to do that.

"I promise you, I won't die, you hear me?" Gamenern said, hugging Gabra tightly. "I will come back to you, no matter how far I have to walk." All Gabra did in response was nod weakly.

"I know."

Fang and Vanille sat out in the living area. Fang was looking down at her application for huntership, while Vanille was busy reading a book about healing salves and herbs.

They were both broken from their tasks when Gamenern entered the room, his suitcase in hand. Vanille immediately set her book down. She wasn't thrilled with his leaving, like most of the orphanage, but she understood why he wanted to fight. She wasn't going to try and convince him to not do what he felt was right.

"Leaving already?" Fang asked, standing up to approach her brother. Gamenern nodded.

"They're taking us to Paddra tonight." He said simply. "You sure you won't try and do something stupid with me gone?" The older boy joked. Fang scoffed.

"You know me." Fang said simply. Vanille grabbed Fang's arm in a loose hug.

"I'll keep her out of trouble." The redhead playfully. Fang sighed, feigning defeat.

"I wouldn't trust anyone else." Gamenern said. "You keep yourself out of trouble too, little girl." He said towards Vanille. The redhead simply smiled.

"I won't promise anything." She said. Gamenern chuckled at the comment.

"You've been putting bad thoughts in this poor girl's mind, Fang." Gamenern joked. Fang shook her head defensively.

"She's more a daredevil than you'd think." Fang said, adding to her defense. Gamenern simply raised an eyebrow at the remark. "I mean it! I haven't done a thing!"

Gamenern was about to say something in retort when Rinoa entered the room. "Oh, you're already leaving, Gamenern?" She asked. Gamenern turned to the matron and nodded once.

"Yeah. Gotta be at the station by noon." He said. He still had 20 minutes to be there, according to the clock. Rinoa smiled back.

"You take care of yourself out there." Rinoa said. She approached Gamenern and hugged him once. "You come back as soon as you can." Gamenern nodded as Rinoa let go.

"I will, matron." He promised, turning to the door. "Well, I guess I'll leave now." As he approached the door, several of the other orphans approached him to wish him well and say goodbye. There were some tears as he and Gabra exited the building and began the short trek to the station.

They arrived at the station with just under 10 minutes before the airship would begin boarding. The distance to Paddra, where the Army held it's training, was to far to walk or use any kind of ground transport. Instead, with an airship, the trip to Paddra could be reduced to only a 3 or 4 hour flight.

Gamenern wasn't alone. Several other soldiers-to-be were gathered in the station, their families with them to see them off and wish them well. Gamenern turned to Gabra.

"Well, I guess this is it." He said simply. Gabra nodded once.

"Yeah." She said shortly, her voice thick with restrained tears. Gamenern cleared his own throat, tears building up in him as well.

"I'll write you as soon as I get the chance." He said, resting his forehead on Gabra's. He then handed Gabra a pendant, one he had since he was a little boy. "Here. Take it. So you can have something to remember me by." He said.

Gabra looked at the pendant. It was worn with age and use, but it still worked. Inside was a picture Gamenern had taken a few months ago, of him and Gabra. As she closed it, she looked up at him. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too." Gamenern returned. He then leaned in and kissed her, as passionately as they ever had before. After what felt like barely an instant, the intercom blared "All passengers for Paddra, please board now."

The two reluctantly broke apart as Gamenern grabbed his bag. "I will return to you, I promise." He said one last time before he headed to the boarding platform. He quickly was allowed to board and found his seat next to the window. The last thing he saw before the airship took to the skies was Gabra's tearstained face as she watched the airship leave.

xXxXx

The next day, after being assigned a bay that he was to stay in, as well as a bunk, Gamenern and about 50 other recruits were gathered, two hours before sunrise, into formation. Their instructor was a large man, Senior Field Marshall Cecil. He looked like he'd seen his share of combat, his face marred with scars and old wounds.

"Listen up, men. As of this point until you complete your training, your lives, your very _**souls**_, belong to me!" Cecil said, his voice clear and loud. "You will address me as sir, and only as sir. Failure to obey will make your lives a living hell. Are we clear?" The trainer spoke.

"Sir, yes sir!" The group of trainees responded, though their collective voices were not much louder than Cecil's lone voice.

"Good." Cecil said, his voice lower but still audible. "Now, let's see just how fit you rookies really are." The terrain in the area was mountainous and uneven. Gamenern wasn't sure about the other recruits, but he could run this area with one leg. Probably faster than most of them too.

After a run that covered well over 5 miles of rocky terrain, and at least one recruit passing out from the heat, the group was in the mess area, eating their breakfast. Like he suspected, Gamenern had barely any trouble completing the task, but there were a two others who made it with little effort. He was sitting with them as they ate.

"So, what's your story?" Haeri Zet Jaxon asked, having just finished his tale. Jaxon, though most of his friends called him Jak, had joined at the behest of his father, who was also in the Army. Jak, like a few of the recruits, was a hunter, though, unlike Gamenern, he was the head of a group on his own. Gamenern swallowed the eggs he was eating before he answered.

"Well, I just wanted to fight for my family." Gamenern said, looking around the mess hall. Several other platoons of recruits, at various stages of their training, were eating, but unlike the cafeteria at the orphanage, the atmosphere here was more professional than informal. "That's it. Nothing more."

The lone female in this group, Paddra Della Sira, hmm'd in response. "Really? Nothing?" She said, as if she didn't believe him. Gamenern nodded once.

"Yep, that's all." He said. Jak chuckled.

"Well, at least you're honest." He complemented. "Come on, lets get out of here before the Drill Master gets too angry." The other two agreed, and they headed back to formation before they were forced out.

xXxXx

It had taken a while for the recruits who weren't fit to get their bearings, but after about 1 week, the rest of the group was starting to shape up. It was an off day, so Gamenern was finally able to set his bunk the way he wanted it to.

He began to unpack his things and place them in his locker. After he placed all of his clothes away, he began to set his personal belongings. The first thing he grabbed was a picture of Vanille, Fang, Gabra and himself shortly after Fang had her cast removed, a little over a year ago. However, you couldn't make out Vanille or Gamenern, because Vanille had thought it would be funny to tackle Gamenern just as the picture was taken. Following that, Fang and Gabra burst into laughter. She might not look it, but Vanille was plenty strong.

He placed that one on his headboard while he grabbed another picture. This one was of Gabra only, following a hunt of some Gorgonospids that had wandered too close to Oerba. It wasn't a bad hunt, but Gabra did have her favorite weapon broken by one of the wolf-creatures. Funnily, it wasn't actually broken by a Gorgon, but instead by one of the beasts' hard skulls. The entire blade cracked down the middle and fell apart, leaving a shattered blade in it's stead. Needless to say, Gabra was not too happy about that little incident.

Gamenern put that one next to the previous picture and pulled out his last picture. This one was, again, of Gabra, but this one was taken on a date that the two went on. Gamenern had taken Gabra out to dinner to celebrate her promotion in the Hall. It was the last time Gamenern and Gabra had spent the entire night alone, because Gamenern had decided to join the Army a few days later.

This picture Gamenern placed on the top of his bunk, facing down. Leaning back, Gamenern was able to look to the picture every time he woke up, and before he went to sleep.

"That's so cheesy." Sira said, almost humorously. Gamenern turned to the woman, who had been placed in the bunk next to his. "So, who're the girls?" She asked, her voice hinting at her sly nature.

Gamenern chuckled. "My sisters and my girlfriend." Gamenern said, pointing to Gabra when he said girlfriend. Jak, who was on the bunk above his, looked over, hanging upside down. He saw the picture of Gabra and whistled.

"Not bad, Yun." He said. Gamenern chuckled and shoved the man's face back to his own bunk. "Yeah, I got a girl back home too." He said, as if his was better.

"What'd you do, hypnotize her?" Oerba Lama Kharon said, the man above Sira's bunk. Sira and Gamenern laughed at the joke, thought Jak mocked their laughing.

"Haha, funny." He said, pulling a picture from his bag. "Nah, met her on a hunt." He handed to picture to Gamenern. She wasn't that bad looking, though she didn't look like Gamenern's type. "Great in bed, too." He added. Sira simply scoffed.

"Yeah, right." She said, pulling pictures of her family from her bag. Gamenern noticed that she had a few old pictures of a little girl, likely her sister, but no recent ones.

"That your sister?" He asked, pointing at the girl. Sira nodded once.

"Was." She said flatly. Gamenern didn't ask any more. He had a good idea what that meant. "She was killed by some soldiers when they attacked the town a few years ago." She either was able to keep her cool really well, or she was so desensitized from the event that she didn't feel anything. "She was only 8."

Jak decided to change the topic, fast. "So, Gamenern, you planning on signing up for the platoon command?" He asked. Gamenern shrugged his shoulders, leaning back into his bed.

"Maybe. Not sure yet." He said. Kharon nodded once, unconvinced.

"Sure. I've already applied." He said. Jak groaned.

"We're doomed if he's picked." Jak said to Gamenern and Sira. The woman laughed as she plopped herself on her bed. Kharon sat up.

"And you think you're any better?" He challenged. Jak also sat up.

"No." He said sarcastically. "I know I'm better." Gamenern chuckled.

Before the two could continue their argument, Cecil entered the room. "Get changed, out in the field in 5!" He said to the platoon. Gamenern was already putting his uniform on when Cecil entered: He knew that whenever Cecil entered, it meant that they were going to be training. Hard.

xXxXx

That night, Gamenern was finally able to write back to Gabra. He knew she probably was worried about him, so he wanted to keep his message short.

_Hey. Long time, no see, huh? Finally got settled in. You should see this place. Feels kinda like the orphanage. They haven't got us doing anything involved with weapons yet, just some physical training. You'd like it here._

_ I hope Fang hasn't torn the place apart already. Or hasn't corrupted poor Vanille. I don't think I could handle two Fangs. Just one's hard enough._

_ You been doing alright? It's kinda hard not having you to talk to whenever. I've got your picture here, but it's not the same. I miss you, a lot. You can write me whenever you want now. I ain't going anywhere anytime soon._

_ Well, talk to you later. I love you._

_ Gamenern._

Gamenern placed the not in an envelope and slid into the mail bag. As he lay down to sleep, the last thing he saw was the picture of Gabra, her face as beautiful as he remembered, smiling down at him.

* * *

><p>As he finished his story, a man staggered to the bar, obviously as drunk as possible. "Get me a beer, babe." He slurred, barely able to talk.<p>

"First, she's on break." Gamenern said. "Second, I'm the only one who can call her 'babe.' And third, you're to drunk to walk straight, let alone drink. Go home." The man didn't like that, because he tried to swing at Gamenern. It wasn't to hard to dodge, and Gamenern was able to twist his arm behind the man, and held him there, hard.

"You wanna try that again, bub?" Gamenern taunted, dragging the man towards the door. "You couldn't beat me sober, let alone piss drunk." As Gamenern threw the man to the ground outside the bar, the man let out a string of obscenities towards Gamenern. "Yeah, good night to you too." Gamenern joked.

Back inside, Lebreau chuckled at the man. "Feel better?" She asked, barely trying to hide her amusement. Gamenern took a stiff drink of his soda.

"Of course."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Sorry for such a long hiatus. Hope to be back to a regular updating schedule soon.<strong>

**Later!**


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